


Faded

by Charlieexo



Series: Faded [1]
Category: Actor RPF, British Actor RPF, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Hollow Crown (2012), Thor (Movies), War Horse (2011)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Past Domestic Violence, Romance, Slow Burn, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-21
Updated: 2016-08-11
Packaged: 2018-06-09 20:57:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 35,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6923074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charlieexo/pseuds/Charlieexo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Elizabeth Allard and her mother run a hotel in the Gloucestershire countryside, famed for it's hospitality towards crews filming in nearby locations. The cast and crew of The Hollow Crown descend upon the hotel and Tom Hiddleston quickly becomes intrigued by Elizabeth. Their quickly found relationship brings Elizabeth's dark past to the forefront after years of suppressing her traumatic experiences. Tom has only a few short weeks to prove to Elizabeth that not everyone in the world wants to hurt her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> I am absolute abhorrent at summaries, I do apologise.  
> When I was researching around The Hollow Crown I found out a lot of the scenes were filmed at Gloucester Cathedral which is about 20 minutes from my house! I wanted to play around with Tom from that time, so this is set in early 2012.

Elizabeth Allard wasn’t anything particularly special. She wasn’t thin. Her long, red hair never did what she wanted it to. Her skin was pale, verging on making her look ill, or it was sunburnt if she spent too long in the sun. In fact physically, the only thing she thought even slightly remarkable about herself were here bright blue eyes. She didn’t have many friends. She spent far too much of her time with her nose buried in a book. She had often tried to imagine her life to play out like the heroines in her books – the handsome stranger comes to her rescue, they fall in love and live happily ever after – but as her one and only boyfriend (Thankfully now long gone) had told her, “Romance is dead Lizzie, you need to get your head from the pages and into the real world.” When she didn’t have her nose in a book, she was putting paint to canvas in the only thing she had really ever been good at, painting. The walls in her mother’s hotel were covered in canvases of landscapes she’d never seen, people she’d never met, food and drink she’d never tasted. Still, at the tender age of twenty five, Elizabeth Allard had done a good job of achieving absolutely nothing of consequence. 

It was the middle of January 2012 and just like she did every morning, Elizabeth showered and dressed quickly. She admired the view of the acres of land the hotel had included when bought from the glass doors that led to her balcony. At 7:30am she went down the several flights of stairs to meet her mother in her office. She had already been working for an hour at this point. Everyone had failed to explain to the pair of them just how time consuming running a hotel could be. Elizabeth kissed her mother’s cheek before the two enjoyed a quick breakfast before the few guests they had come down to have theirs. By 9:30am, all of the guests had been fed and checked out. Elizabeth’s mother sighed as she hung up the last key behind the desk. 

“And now we start all over again.” She smiled, rubbing Elizabeth’s arm as the younger girl closed the check in and out book. 

For the next couple of weeks, the hotel was being rented out to a film company. Very little information had been given to Elizabeth’s mother, all the pair knew was that actors and crew alike would descend upon the hotel whilst they filmed at Gloucester cathedral for several weeks. The hotel was situated about twenty-five minutes from the cathedral, situated on top of a hill in about one hundred acres of land. It was beautiful and secluded and was a favourite among people who were filming in the surrounding area. Large enough to accommodate around fifty people at one time, it meant that the principle actors and film crew could all stay together, without being bothered by the public. 

“Do you know what time they’re checking in?” Elizabeth asked, sitting on the chair behind the desk for the first time since breakfast. 

“Early afternoon is what the email said,” Her mother replied, “I’m going into the office to do some work on the website, before you do anything else, go and check to make sure Sam has everything he needs to the guests until we next go to the wholesale.” 

Elizabeth waved her mother off before picking up the list of requirements that the actors and directors had requested be made available to them. For all the secrecy surrounding it, Elizabeth imagined the requests to be astronomical. In reality, the list had only been two sides of A4 paper and was all very reasonable. Lots of fruit, a decent amount of alcohol and hearty meals for when they were around for meal times. 

Sam Dover was the head chef. He presided over an ever changing array of young people who chose to do their college work experiences at the hotel. He was, despite his age (Being old enough to be her father), Elizabeth’s closest and dearest friend. Elizabeth found him leaning into the large fridge at the end of the kitchen. 

“Everything alright Sam?” She asked, coming up behind him quietly, causing the older man to jump at the sound of her voice, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” She giggled quietly. 

“I was just checking the inventory.” He replied once his heart had started beating as normal. 

“Mum wanted me to check to see if you had everything you needed,” She said, handing him the list of paper, “Although if you haven’t got anything I dare say it might be too late now.” 

“Aye, your mother knows I’ve got everything,” He handed the paper back to Elizabeth after his eyes flitted over it, “She’s so worried about making an impression this time and I’m not quite sure why, she’d had many a famous actor walk through this hotel, but nothing’s got her this worked up.” 

Elizabeth nodded in agreement, it was odd to see her mother so worked up over the arrival of guests. She could only put it down to the secrecy surrounding it all. Every time they’d had guests who were filming, they’d been totally in the loop as to what it was for and who they could expect to be staying. This time however, they only had a check-in and check-out date and the number of guests they could expect. 

“I think maybe she’s hoping for Bond,” Elizabeth spoke, “That’s the only thing I can really think of that warrants this much secrecy.” 

“I can imagine your mother if Daniel Craig walks through that door this afternoon.” Sam gave a hearty chuckle before shooing Elizabeth from the kitchen, stating that he needed to start on the food for later this evening. 

Elizabeth walked through the ground floor corridors before coming to the large dining room. The cleaners had done their job of the room already, having it set up ready to come through later that day to put the dinnerware on the tables. Elizabeth checked the stock behind the bar, matching what they had to what had been requested. Bottles of Jameson, Belvedere vodka and London gin among others. It was all there. She tested the taps as well, the Guinness and Cider taps were fine, but she made a note to send someone down to change the Ale and Lager barrels. 

Once all was checked and ready for the guests to arrive, she made herself and her mother a mug of tea and sat down with a book at the front desk to await the arrival of the guests. 

Just over an hour and a half later, she was pulled from her book by the sound of a throat clearing. She stood up immediately and folded the corner of her current page before putting the book down on the counter in front of her. 

“Sorry about that, how can I help you?” She spoke, putting on her professional face. 

“I’m here to check in for the guys who are filming here.” 

“Oh, of course,” Elizabeth smiled, opening the check-in and check-out book, “I’ll need one person from each room to come and sign in and collect the key.” 

The woman in front of Elizabeth sighed like she was slightly annoyed at not being able to do it all herself but turned on her heel none-the-less. Less than two minutes later she was back with a slew of people in tandem, “We’ll do the crew first and then I’ll bring the actors in.” 

Elizabeth nodded in understanding before inviting the first person to come and sign in. Somewhere along the line of people, her mother joined her, helping to hand out keys to the crew. Once they were done, the woman disappeared and came back with the actors. Elizabeth’s mother looked to her daughter when the first group were done, “I recognise a few of them from some stuff, but I’m not sure there are going to be any big names here, I just can’t figure out why all the secrecy.” 

As the words left her mother’s lips they were answered. The last two men came striding in, one significantly older than the other. Elizabeth and her mother recognised him almost immediately. Jeremy Irons. The younger man looked familiar but Elizabeth couldn’t put her finger on where she had seen him before. Elizabeth squeezed her mother’s hand as the two men reached the front desk. 

“Welcome,” Her mother smiled, “I’m Darcey, I’m the owner here, and this is my daughter Elizabeth. All we need you to do is just write your name here,” She said, pointing to the book, “And we’ll get you your key.” 

The first thing Tom Hiddleston noticed was the battered copy of Wuthering Heights sat on the top of the desk. The second thing he noticed was the striking young woman behind it. Even though it was January and it was absolutely freezing, she was wearing what could only be described as a summer dress. White with orange flowers printed across the fabric. Her shoes and the lipstick she wore on her lips matched and the bright red of her hair was a stark difference to her milky pale skin and bright blue eyes. He smiled briefly at her as he was handed his key and followed Jeremy to the floor that their rooms were situated on, but found his mind shifting from the girl, to the hotel. 

It was a beautiful place. Almost like a stately home, he thought, as he opened the door to his room. It was luxurious but not overly so. He could tell he would have a wonderful stay here. The view over the lands the hotel was situated in was breath-taking from the small balcony and he couldn’t wait to go for a run through it at some point. He hoped the weather would be kind to him at least for a few days whilst he was here. The unexpected noise of his phone drew Tom away from the window. It was the director’s PA telling him that dinner would be at 7pm this evening and that they were welcome to explore the ground of the hotel, providing no-one got into trouble. Tom chuckled and assumed the message had been sent to everyone in the group. 

After he unpacked, Tom took the opportunity to explore, wrapping his scarf around his neck along with his coat. He stuffed his phone and room key into his pocket before leaving. Tom neglected to watch where he was going and he turned down the corridor to the stairs after locking his room, resulting in a near collision with the striking girl from downstairs. 

“I’m so sorry,” He apologised after taking a step back from her, “I really need to start looking where I’m going.” 

The girl smiled and Tom’s mind thought that it made her look so pretty that she should always smile, “It’s no trouble, honestly,” She spoke quietly, obviously quite shy, “You didn’t actually knock me over, so it’s okay.” Tom noticed the copy of Wuthering Heights in her hand. 

“Enjoying it?” He asked, trying to make light conversation with the girl. 

“Just as much the fifth time around as I did the first,” She smiled, “Are you going somewhere?” 

“Just going to take a walk around outside before dinner.” 

Elizabeth nodded her head slightly before smiling at him, “Enjoy.” She said briefly, before turning to go to her room in a flurry of bright red hair. 

Safely ensconced in her room, Elizabeth put her book down on her bed and fired up her laptop. She had managed to catch a glimpse of the man’s name after he had written it down in the book. Elizabeth was curious to know where she recognised him from. 

**Tom Hiddleston** was quickly typed into the search bar. Elizabeth clicked through to his Wikipedia page and scrolled down to his filmography, trying to ignore the handsome face that stared back at her from the image results. Of course! He had been William Buxton in Cranford a few years back and had been in War Horse that she and her mother had gone to see at the cinema a few months previous. Against her better judgement, Elizabeth scrolled through a few other pages on Google, trying to find a hint as to what they might be filming here, but her search turned up nothing. She subsequently shut her laptop off and went to her bookshelf. 

Stowing away that worn copy of Wuthering Heights that she had finished, she ran her fingers over the spines of her books. Most of them were worn with age, having belonged to her mother before her at one time. Romantic classics, thrillers, spy novels, everything she could ever wish to read. Her hand stopped however, one a relatively new spine. It was War Horse, which she had bought for the sole purpose of school work when she had been in college. She had read it once, the spine hadn’t even been cracked. She picked it up off the shelf and opened it to the first page, flouncing down on the chair that her mother had bought from a second hand shop a few years back and settled into the story of Albert and Joey – her mind replacing the old image she had of Captain Nicholls with the face of the handsome actor currently walking through the grounds of her home. 

**“This horse is going to carry me through the war and, with any luck, out the other side of it."**

Tom’s brief walk around the hotel grounds, which he concluded were some of the most beautiful he’d seen, had cleared his mind enough that he could return to his room and run lines for an hour before he went down to dinner. Most of the crew had headed down to the cathedral after checking in to set up ready for the beginning of the shoot tomorrow so it was a relatively small group of them sitting down for dinner. Tom managed to snag the last seat at the table with Jeremy and the director for the first two instalments of The Hollow Crown, Richard Eyre. 

Somewhere between their main course and their second bottle of wine, Tom had lifted his head to find Elizabeth and her mother tucked away in a corner eating their own food, looking to be in conversation with one another. It took all of his strength to keep his focus on the wonderful steak in front of him instead of getting up and perching himself at their table to learn more about the two women. By the time Tom had polished off the golden syrup sponge for pudding the two women were gone. He felt a pang of disappointment but he reminded himself that he was here for nearly six weeks, and would have plenty of time to talk to the woman in question. 

A six-thirty am set call meant that the table soon dispersed so its respective members could get ready for the day ahead. Tom picked up the last of his glass of wine and took it outside, where he found Elizabeth bundled up in a coat and scarf picking some foliage from one of the pots on the patio. 

“Is there much demand for greenery over flowers at this time of year?” He asked, watching as instead of standing to greet him, she merely pushed a strand of her hair from her face and looked up at him. 

“I need something fresh in my room and the only thing that seems to grow here until spring hits are bits of foliage.” 

“Why don’t you just get some fake plants for now to tide you over to spring?” He asked, finishing the last sip of wine. 

“Because there’s nothing better than nurturing something,” Elizabeth explained, deciding she had enough foliage for her small vase, “Sure, it might be prettier to look at, but I’d prefer something with a bit of life still in it.” 

The January chill had settled upon Tom’s skin so he followed Elizabeth back into the hotel, which was no quiet for lack of guests being anywhere but their rooms. Tom followed quietly behind Elizabeth up the stairs to the top floor of the hotel. 

“I take it you got to choose your room?” He asked, stopping outside of his door to fish his keys from his pocket. 

“My mum felt bad that she moved us from our home, so she let me choose one for myself, so of course I chose one of the biggest with the best view,” She chuckled to herself, “Although it did need to be a big room to house all my books.” 

“I’d like to see that collection one day,” Tom smiled, “I want to see how close it rivals my collection.” 

Elizabeth smiled as she began walking backwards, keeping her eyes on Tom, “Have fun tomorrow,” She said quietly, “The cathedral is beautiful, whatever it is you might be doing within it.” 

Tom thanked her quietly as she disappeared around the corner. He sighed and let himself in to his room. He went through his routine of getting ready for bed like clockwork and all but collapsed into the sheets after setting his alarm for the morning before drifting off to sleep almost immediately.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy this new one guys! :)

The following morning Tom was slightly disappointed that he hadn’t seen Elizabeth before leaving for set. Walking out from the warmth of the hotel he noted that it was colder than it had been the day before. He tried to bury himself deeper into his coat but his only respite came when he was safely inside the car that would be driving him to and from the set each morning. It had slightly vexed Tom that someone would be driving him to and from set when he could do it himself with the car he had driven down here. It looked more than likely that his car would spend the six weeks parked up with nothing to do if he couldn’t find an excuse to take it for a spin. 

Tom flicked through his script for the day whilst sat in the make-up chair, trying not to wonder what the red-headed girl back at the hotel was doing that morning. He was curious about her. She was quiet when she spoke to him, like she was shy or nervous, he’d wondered if she knew who he was, but usually when he met people, they’d go crazy and she hadn’t. He wanted to know why she was so timid and what it was about her books she loved so much. He managed to rid his mind of Elizabeth for the rest of the day, sinking his teeth into Prince Hal with as much vigor and enthusiasm that he did with any of Shakespeare’s works. 

Elizabeth spent most of her day holed up in her room, sat in front of her laptop writing an essay. These were the days she despised most, not being able to help her mother with anything in the hotel because her stupid work ethic meant that she had to finish her work the same day that she started it. It had been the agreement between Elizabeth and her mother that once the hotel was set up, Elizabeth would go away to university. Certain events transpired that meant Elizabeth hadn’t felt comfortable leaving her mother alone with a new hotel, so she’d decided to study from home with an English literature course at the Open University. She’d done it part time and was finally coming to the end, with just one essay and one exam left. 

At around 7pm Elizabeth sent off her essay on the significance of ghost presence in classic romantic literature and headed down to the kitchen to see if Sam had any food for her to eat realising she hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast that morning. 

“Hey kiddo,” He greeted as she strode into the kitchen, “What can I do you for?” 

“Is there anything going free for me to eat?” She asked, “I seem to have forgotten what food is today.” 

Sam smiled sympathetically and took a plate down from the food heater that he had put aside for her. Sam had known this girl since the hotel had opened and knew she was always the same when she got her head down to work. He had saved her the same meal that the rest of the hotel guests had enjoyed, “Take that to the dining room, you might be lucky enough to get pudding after.” 

Elizabeth smiled at Sam thankfully before grabbing a roll from the bread basket and heading out to the dining room to eat. 

Tom watched intently over the rim of his glass as Elizabeth walked into the dining room. She was wearing a loose blue denim dress with shoes that matched the colour almost perfectly. She sat down in the same seat she had occupied the night before, this time without her mother opposite. His co-stars and director had left him after finishing their food, the early morning thoroughly catching up with them. Tom had elected to stay downstairs, nursing a glass of whisky in hopes of catching a glimpse of Elizabeth. Save for a few straggling crew members, they were the only people in the relatively large dining room. Tom picked up his glass and walked to the empty seat. 

“May I?” He asked politely, Elizabeth nodded her head as she broke off a piece of the roll by her hand to dip in the juice of the casserole he had enjoyed previously. 

“How was your day?” She asked quietly after finishing her mouthful. 

“It was good, long and tiring, but good,” He spoke, draining the last mouthful of whisky, “You were right, the cathedral is beautiful.” 

“I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve walked around it,” She smiled, spooning some of the casserole into her mouth, “I look forward to seeing what you’ve done to its cloisters eventually.” 

“How was your day?” He asked the same of her, watching her finish her food before replying. 

“It was okay, thank you.” She replied, putting her cutlery in the now empty bowl. Someone came to take her bowl and asked Tom if he wanted another drink. He politely refused but asked for a glass of water instead. 

“Just okay?” He inquired once they were alone again.

“Well I didn’t really do anything of consequence apart from write an essay on ghosts in literature.” She replied, smiling at the young girl that placed a slice of cheesecake down in front of her along with Tom’s glass of water. 

The girl continued to surprise Tom, “Ah so you’re studying then?” He asked, running his fingers along the rim of the glass. 

“Coming to the end,” She spoke, taking a spoonful of the cheesecake, “It’s with the Open University so I do it when I have the time.” 

“English literature?” He inquired. 

“I’m sure you expected nothing less,” She smiled, looking up through her eyelashes to him, “It’s the only thing other than History and Art that I’ve truly enjoyed.” 

“You’re an artist?” He asked. 

“Most of the paintings you see along the corridors are mine.” She replied, putting down her fork, leaving half the cheesecake behind. 

“You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?” Tom asked, remembering the landscape painting next to his room door that he had been rather taken with. 

“I do try,” She chuckled, leaning back in her chair, “I don’t suppose you want to finish that bit of cheesecake do you?” Elizabeth asked, pushing the plate toward him, “If I send the plate back with some on Sam will send it straight back to me and order me to finish it but I think if I eat one more bite I might be sick.” 

Tom reached for the plate without thinking, “I’m a pudding man, so I’ll take up your cause m’lady.” 

Elizabeth watched intently as Tom finished the small bit of cheesecake she had left. He was extremely handsome. The pictures she had seen when knee deep in her google search of him the previous day did little to no justice for the man. Up close and personal he was simply the most handsome man she had ever seen. His blonde curls, threatening to turn slightly ginger suited his face well. His structured jaw-line was one Elizabeth had only really seen in her dreams. She had noticed that she didn’t really know what colour his eyes were, for every time she had looked into them they had been a slightly different shade of blue or green. She quietly chastised herself from thinking any further into it, fraternising with the guests had been one thing her mother had been hell bent on forbidding her to do, ever since the first lot of actors had come to stay. 

“We’ll have a reputation to uphold Elizabeth, and we can’t do that by getting too friendly with our guests.” Had been her mother’s exact words on the matter, and Elizabeth hadn’t ever felt tempted. The first three years they had owned the hotel she had been in a relationship anyway and after that had ended she had felt no desire to go near a man again. Until now that was. Until Tom Hiddleston had appeared and thoroughly shaken the apple cart. She shook her head, she couldn’t go there again, not after what had happened last time. 

She was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of Tom setting his spoon down against the plate and pushing it back towards her, “He’ll never know.” He said simply, winking at her which made Elizabeth’s breath hitch in her throat. 

After Tom spoke, he struggled and ultimately failed to stifle a yawn, his early morning catching up with him. He looked briefly to Elizabeth who didn’t seem phased, but he felt the need to assure her he wasn’t bored, “I promise you aren’t boring me,” He spoke, “But I feel my early morning is getting the better of me, so I’ll say goodnight.” 

Elizabeth was almost disappointed that he was leaving her so soon but pushed those feelings down as she stood with him. She needed to double check her essay had uploaded anyway, before catching up with her mother who she hadn’t seen since a rushed breakfast this morning. They came to a stop once more outside Tom’s door as he spoke again, “Is this yours?” he asked, pointing to the relatively small painting of a countryside bathed in sunshine. 

“I did indeed.” She replied quietly, running her fingers over the skin of her neck. Elizabeth hated when people complimented her work. 

“It’s really lovely,” Tom smiled, unlocking his door and pushing it open a little, “Do you take commission?” He asked, thinking about how lovely his apartment would look with a few of Elizabeth’s paintings dotted around. 

“Unfortunately not,” She spoke, “I paint when I feel like it and I paint whatever comes to mind at the time.” 

“A true artist.” Tom mused, slightly disappointed by her answer but respecting it none-the-less, “Goodnight Elizabeth.” He spoke quietly, waving at her slightly as he ducked into his room and shut the door. 

“Goodnight Tom.” She spoke back once he’d gone to an empty hallway, turning on her heel to check the state of her essay and go and see her mother. 

Darcey was milling around cleaning up the front desk when Elizabeth appeared with two hot cups of tea in her hand. She gratefully took it and walked with her daughter to the small office. 

“Maria told me you were sat with one of the actors tonight.” Was her opening statement to her daughter. She watched closely as Elizabeth set her cup of tea down on the desk and sighed. 

“He asked to come and sit with me and we were practically the only people in the dining room,” She spoke, silently cursing Maria for not minding her own business, “I didn’t realise I had to keep them at a miles distance from me at all times.” She added, mumbling under her breath, but her mother caught the words all the same. 

“Elizabeth, we talked about this, we can’t be seen getting close to them, they have a job to do, we have a job to do, and that’s just the way it is.” 

“I know mum, I really do, but I’m not going to refuse to have a conversation with him or anyone else for that matter just for the sake of keeping up appearances,” Elizabeth sipped her tea, “What if he goes away now and tells people they need to come and stay here because we’re amiable? We get more guests, more chances to house even bigger production companies. If I refuse to talk to him that doesn’t happen.” 

Darcey had to admit that he daughter was right about this but she still had to set boundaries. These people were in a different world to her and her daughter, no matter how much she hated to admit that, “Just be careful.” Were her only words in reply. 

Elizabeth pushed the conversation to the back of her mind, as much as she loved her mother, these were the kinds of conversations Elizabeth truly disliked having with her. The ones where she sounded like her mother. 

“I was thinking of going into Gloucester tomorrow if you don’t mind,” Elizabeth spoke, quickly changing the subject, “I need to get some stuff for my exam in a few weeks.”  
Elizabeth’s mother agreed to let her have the morning free to go into town and with that she left her mother with a chaste kiss on the cheek to go to bed. 

Once Elizabeth had showered and slipped into her night dress, she sidled over to her bookshelf. She had finished War Horse the previous night – that was now back in its original position on the bookshelf. She ran her fingers along the spines before coming to one she fancied the look of. Pride and Prejudice. The book was basically falling apart on her, being the one she had read the most of her ever growing collection. She clutched it to her chest as she climbed into bed and got comfortable. 

**It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah I'm absolutely delighted at the amount of you who left kudos and commented on the first chapter! I've worked a lot on this story (I have most of it written already) and I'm so glad that you guys are enjoying it! I hope you enjoy this new chapter! Do let me know what you think of this chapter by leaving a comment! I love hearing what you guys are thinking!  
> Also, come and say hi to me on tumblr! beautifully-silenced.tumblr.com


	3. Chapter Three

The next morning Elizabeth dressed quickly and after a quick breakfast with no sign of the actors or crew, she jumped into the small car she and her mother shared and drove the relatively short distance into Gloucester. Elizabeth had hooked her iPod up to listen to some music as she drove, finding herself calmer when driving around into the city when she was being serenaded by soft strings and piano music. The amount of idiots she encountered without fail each time never seemed to amuse her more, although she was never one to example road rage, instead, it made her hands clamp around the wheel and turn her knuckles white whilst silently cursing them in her brain. 

Once she had parked up and paid for her parking ticket, Elizabeth made a bee line for Waterstones. The bookshop was one of her favourite places. She could spend hours browsing the bookshelves and more often than not did just that. The salary that her mother insisted on paying her, even though she had refused it more than once when the idea had first come about, was more often than not spent mostly in this store. She had two books that she had to pick up for her exam, but she could almost guarantee to herself that she would leave with more than just those two. 

As much as it pained her to do so, Elizabeth made her way to the Shakespeare section. His work was the only literature she didn’t devour with enthusiasm. She could never really understand what he was saying, but the fate of her getting a first class degree rested on understanding two of his plays in her final exam. She picked up the copies of Henry V and Othello and moved away from the depressing section as quickly as she could. She picked up three other books - The Constant Gardener, A Handmaids Tale and The English Patient – and was gone once she had paid before any other significant damage could be done to her bank balance. 

Elizabeth wandered around town for the best part of the next hour. She managed to find a flower shop so bought a small bouquet of flowers to replace the foliage she had picked a few days prior. She also walked past her favourite sandwich shop, and after turning around on her heel three doors down from it, went back in and bought her lunch, her usual melted brie and cranberry sandwich that she would eat back at the hotel whilst manning the desk that afternoon. With her arms laden with her purchases, Elizabeth realised she was only a few minutes away from the cathedral. Without even thinking, she walked the few minutes to the normally wide open iron gates and found them locked shut. 

Elizabeth walked up to the gates and peered through the iron bars to see if she could get any hints as to what they were filming. The car park that she had frequented more times than she cared to admit was full of vans and trailers, she wondered briefly if Tom was sat in one of them, but quickly pushed her thoughts of him away. There were no cast members milling about so there were no costumes she could see that would give her a hint as to what they were filming. She could just tell by the amount of vans and crew members milling around that it had to be big. Elizabeth noticed she was being stared at by someone who looked official, so she made herself scarce after that, driving back to the hotel with the sounds of the piano and the rain that had begun to fall. 

Spending the rest of her afternoon holed up behind the desk seeing to the list of things the cast and crew needed doing before they came back wasn’t really how Elizabeth had wanted to spend her afternoon. Her brand new copy of Othello sat on the desk untouched as she phoned down to the kitchen to make sure Sam remembered the dairy allergies of some of the guests or phoned the housekeeping team to make sure they restocked some of the free toiletries in the bathroom. She was still on the phone at 6pm when the swathes of cast and crew started arriving back at the hotel. She was deep in conversation with Sam who needed her to go to the wholesale tomorrow to pick up stuff that he’d already run out of when Tom came walking into the lobby. 

“So you just want the crates of wine for cooking, the fruit and vegetables, the olive oil and the balsamic vinegar?” She asked, watching as Tom smiled at her and waved at her, she returned his wave along with a smile whilst she listened to Sam reply to her, but didn’t actually take in a word that he said. 

“Hey kiddo, are you listening to me?” Was his grainy reply down the phone which snapped her from her day dream of watching the now empty stairs that Tom had just walked up. 

“No, sorry, what did you say?” 

“I said that’s fine, just remember to get the stuff from last time because it’s better than what we used to get.” 

“Right, yes, I’ll make sure they’re delivered by lunch time tomorrow.” 

She hung up the phone and was relieved to find her mother stood behind her, “I can take the desk from here love,” She spoke, running a hand down her daughters long hair, “Why don’t you head upstairs for a while?” 

Elizabeth smiled, grabbing the still unopened copy of Othello before heading to her room. She paused briefly outside Tom’s door, not enough that anyone would know she had been there, but enough to wonder what he was doing inside. Perhaps he was showering after his long day of shooting? No. Elizabeth shook her head and carried on walking down the corridor to her room. No more thinking about what Tom was doing behind his door. 

Once in her room, she placed the copy of Othello on top of the copy of Henry V that she had put on her desk ready to be revised. She would start tomorrow. She quickly checked her university email account and replied to those she needed to before closing it down again. She checked the time on the clock in her room. It was 8pm. She sighed, not really knowing what to do with herself at this point. What she really fancied was a drink. Dinner should be wrapping up downstairs and with any luck only a few stragglers would be hanging around so she could get away with pouring herself something before coming back up to her room. 

Just as expected, dinner was wrapping up and although there were even less people than expected. However, she spotted Tom sat with Jeremy Irons and a few other actors. Did he just sit around and wait for her to appear? She shook her head of the thought, of course he didn’t. She quickly ducked behind the bar and filled a whisky glass up with ice before straightening up to come face to face with Tom Hiddleston. 

“Don’t tell me bar tending is another one of your many talents?” He grinned as he watched her pour whisky over the ice in her glass. 

Tom had noticed her as soon as she walked in. She was dressed differently today than the previous two days. Gone were the dresses. In its place were thick grey tights, a short red plaid skirt with matching coloured shoes and a grey jumper. 

“Well, as long as you want a single spirit poured over ice I guess you could say so.” She grinned. 

“Well in that case, I’ll have what you’re having.” 

Elizabeth gave him a small smile before making up another glass identical to hers. She handed it over to him before leaving the bar, noticing the people he’d been sat with had left. She didn’t particularly want to sit in the dining room, so she headed quietly with Tom in tow to the large conservatory that led out onto the patio and the gardens of the hotel. The pair sat down with their drinks in chairs next to one another, sitting in comfortable silence for a few moments. 

“How was your day?” Tom asked, much like he had done the previous night.

“It was good,” She said, sipping the liquid in her glass, “I went to the bookshop to pick up some new books and just wandered through town for the morning,” She looked to him, “I walked past the cathedral as well, whatever it is you’re doing there looks big.” 

Tom chuckled at her statement, “I guess you could say that,” He sipped at his own drink, “I wish I could tell you what it is we’re doing but we’ve been pretty much sworn to secrecy, so I’d have to kill you if I did.” 

“I’m not quite ready for that adventure yet.” Elizabeth said softly, looking at him through her eyelashes before pushing her hair back behind her ear. 

Tom’s breath caught a little as he watched her push her hair back behind her ear to reveal a small tattoo. It was a small, open book placed just behind and underneath her ear. So small and delicate. It suited her intensely. 

“That’s very pretty,” He commented, pointing his finger towards the tattoo, watching as she pulled away as his finger got close to touching the skin, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” 

“Oh no, it’s okay,” She spoke quietly, “I’ve had it done a long time that I almost forget it’s there.” She pushed her hair back a bit more and moved slightly so Tom could see it better. 

He briefly wondered what it would be like to press a small kiss to it but quickly pushed that idea away. He couldn’t afford to think about her like that. But still. There she was. Sat in her chair with absolutely no fathom to how lovely and endearing she was. 

“Do you have any others?” Tom enquired, briefly looking at his watch and noting that he should probably call it a night soon. 

“Maybe,” Elizabeth spoke, smiling at him, “You’ll have to work a little harder to find out.” Elizabeth mentally kicked herself. Sometimes her filter didn’t work and it seemed that this was one of those times. Her mind flashed to what had happened the last time she had flirted so openly with someone. She shuddered slightly at the memory and hoped Tom didn’t catch it. 

Tom smiled back at her words, making a mental note to add her flirtatiousness as another thing he liked about her. He was about to open his mouth to reply to her when he heard someone clear their throat behind them. He turned and found Elizabeth’s mother, picking up glasses to take down to the kitchen. She said nothing to the both of them but Tom noted that she shared a look with Elizabeth before turning on her heel to leave. 

“I’m not getting you into trouble, am I?” Tom asked, looking at Elizabeth, “My mother was very good at that look when I was younger.” 

“You’re not getting me into trouble, no,” Elizabeth replied, “I think it’s a case of me getting myself into trouble. My mother doesn’t like us to get too close to the guests we have who film. Something about keeping an air of professionalism about us.” 

“Well if it’s any consolation, I don’t think you’re being unprofessional.” 

“That’s always a good sign.” Elizabeth chuckled, such a lovely sound that Tom wished he could make her laugh more often, just so he could hear it. 

The pair were silent for a short while before Tom once again checked his watch. If he wanted any hope of being well rested enough to give as good a performance as he could, he needed to call it a night, no matter how much longer he wanted to stay in Elizabeth’s company. 

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to head up to bed.” He spoke, draining his glass before getting up. 

Elizabeth followed his actions, finishing her drink before standing. She extended her empty hand to take Tom’s glass, “I would say I needed to go to bed as well, but I fear I’ve done nothing much but sit behind a desk all day, so for my own sake I should probably help clean up before I do.” 

Tom nodded in understanding and handed his glass to her, “And what book is it that will be helping you drift off tonight?” He asked as he walked with her back to the dining room. 

“Well, I started Pride and Prejudice last night so it’s either that, or The English Patient that I bought today.” 

Tom grinned as he came to a stop by the bar and watched as Elizabeth went behind it to start cleaning up, “It’s one of my favourite films, The English Patient.” 

“I didn’t know it had a film,” Elizabeth replied, “Have you read the book?” 

“I have indeed, I think they’re both excellent, but I’m surprised you haven’t consumed either if you’re into your romance.” 

Elizabeth gave a small smile as she wiped down the counter, “Well, I tend to find myself a bit behind the times.” 

“Well, I hope you enjoy the book none-the-less,” Tom spoke softly, “Goodnight Elizabeth.” 

“Goodnight Tom.” She replied, this time so he could hear her, unlike the previous night. 

He smiled before wandering off to his room leaving Elizabeth alone to clean. In record time she had cleaned the bar and made everything ready for the breakfast staff in the morning. She waved Sam goodbye as he headed out the front door to his car. Finally, she kissed her mother’s cheek as she worked on the final bits of paperwork of the day. 

“I’m off to bed mum, I’ll see you in the morning, I love you.” Elizabeth said before placing the chaste kiss to her mother’s cheek. 

Her mother said nothing in reply, merely went continued on with her work. 

“Oh, I see, well, if that’s how we’re going to be then fine.” Elizabeth’s mood soured. She turned on her heel and walked up the stairs to her room without another word to any of the people she passed. She worried that people could see on her face how mad she was. 

Without a second thought she slammed her door behind her as she entered it. Wincing slightly having forgotten how heavy the doors were and what a loud noise they made. Her mind briefly slipped to Tom and whether she’d woken him from his room down the corridor from her, but any thought of him was soon gone as she ran a hot bath with far too many bubbles in it. 

Elizabeth settled down into the scalding hot water, her skin would be bright red once she got out of it but she didn’t care. Whenever she was mad her routine was the same. Sit in a bath slightly too hot to be comfortable and ruminated until she had calmed down. She looked down onto the floor where she had placed The English Patient. She reached out and grabbed the hand towel from the towel rack and dried her hands before picking up the book. Before Elizabeth knew it, she was deep into the story of Almasy, Katherine and Hanna and the bath water had cooled significantly. She folded the page at the corner lightly before lifting herself from the water. She dried herself and drained the water, admiring the pained red colour her skin had taken to just above her breasts. There was something satisfying about it that Elizabeth couldn’t explain. She quickly slipped her silk nightdress over her skin before grabbing the book and getting into bed. 

She placed her book on the bedside table and whilst waiting for her bedside lamp to warm up enough for her to continue reading she led back on the pillow and thought about her mother. Elizabeth had always taken care to listen to her mother. She had always been right about everything. Elizabeth trusted her mother like no-one else. But this time it didn’t matter to her what her mother thought, Tom was intriguing to her, he took a genuine interest in her and that had been non-existent in a long time. She wanted to get to know him. To understand who he was more than his google news page would relay to her. 

Then Elizabeth thought closer. The last time someone had intrigued her like Tom did she had ended up in a bad place. It wasn’t something her mind liked to dwell on, but it was the truth. Maybe her mother was right, not just about Tom and her professionalism, but about men in general. Elizabeth thought back on the last few days. Tom’s presence had turned her into what resembled a teenage girl with her first crush. Hoping she would see him, even for the briefest of moments. Crossing her fingers that he would speak to her, even if it was just to ask her for something. Elizabeth hated herself for being so silly. She picked up The English Patient and attempted to lose herself in the pages, waiting for sleep to claim her so she didn’t have to fight with her conflicted thoughts anymore. 

**Every night I cut out my heart. But in the morning it was full again.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I officially finished my degree at university today so I thought, what better way to celebrate than to give you lovely people the next installment! :) Hopefully you enjoy it! After this chapter things do pick up quite quickly so enjoy the relative calm of this one!   
> I'd love to know what you guys think of this, so leave me comments if you'd like! I'm still bowled over by the amount of readers this has had in such a short amount of time, so thank you for that!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom is a fool. Elizabeth comes to the rescue.

Elizabeth spent the next three days avoiding Tom completely. She stayed away from the dining room, opting to have Sam send her food up to her room under the guise that she was trying to get her head around the Shakespeare books for her exams. In reality, the Shakespeare sat unread on her desk apart from the one time on the second day when she opened up Othello to try and distract her from going down to the dining room to catch a glimpse of Tom. It had resulted in her throwing the book against the wall in frustration of not understanding a word of what was being said. And then resulted in her picking the book up and apologising to it and the wall for her outburst of anger. 

She had managed to fall into a routine of stepping out of her room just after the actors and crew left for the set and abandoning her desk duty when the first people came in so as not to see him. If he had wondered after her no-one had told her, but it was more than likely that her fears were true, that he didn’t actually care about her at all, that all Elizabeth was to him was a simple conversation and nothing else. 

That night, Elizabeth had ducked out into the office to speak with her mother as everyone came back in from their day of shooting and went back out to the desk once she was sure everyone was safely ensconced in the hotel room and she wouldn’t be spotted by Tom. She would have continued with her normal plan of going up to her room for the rest of the night, but her mother had enquired as to whether she was feeling alright after being so rigid in her disappearance each night, so this evening she would stay at the desk to appease her mother’s curiosities. She had been getting along fine with her mother after the other evening. Her mother hadn’t seen her with Tom, which made her much happier.   
Elizabeth was sat behind the desk reading The Constant Gardener when the phone rang. She placed her book face down on the desk so not to lose her page and picked up the phone. 

“Hello, reception, how can I help?” She asked, putting on her best professional voice. 

“Elizabeth, is that you?” Came the voice from the other end, god damn it. 

“Tom, is everything alright?” She asked, trying to quell the giddy feeling in her stomach at the sound of his voice. 

“Not really,” He spoke, a small chuckle at the end of his words, “I went running earlier and twisted my ankle and it looks quite swollen, I was wondering if you could bring up some ice or something to try and take the swelling down?” 

“Of course, I’ll be up as quickly as I can.” She replied, hanging up the phone before he could reply to her. 

Before heading down to the kitchen to grab some ice, Elizabeth opened the first aid kit that was kept behind the desk and picked out the packet of ibuprofen. She poked her head around the door of the office to let her mother know that she was going to see to a guest but left out exactly which one it was, in fear that her mother would insist on going if she knew it was Tom she would be tending to. Elizabeth all but ran into the kitchen, where Sam was just getting ready to send dinner out to the guests. 

“Is it important?” He asked Elizabeth as he wiped the sides of plates before sending them out. 

“It needn’t disturb you,” She spoke, “I just need some form of ice product for a swollen ankle.” 

Sam simply nodded Elizabeth through to the freezers. Elizabeth opted for a bag of frozen peas instead of actual ice. The probability of it melting before she got it to Tom was high, and even if there was some ice left, it would make hell of a mess in the long run. She thanked Sam and promised to return the peas later that evening. Then, as a second thought, if Tom’s ankle was swollen enough that he had to phone down for help, he probably wouldn’t make it down to dinner. She instructed Sam to send up his meal to his room. 

Elizabeth bounded up the stairs two at a time and all but ran down the corridor before coming to a stop outside Tom’s room. She took a moment to catch her breath, remembering why people who aren’t skinny don’t run. Once she was sure she had her breathing under control and she wasn’t sweating, she knocked three times on Tom’s door.   
“Come in!” She heard a muffled shout come from inside. 

She pressed down the handle and walked in, shutting the door quietly behind her before looking into his room. There was a wall by the door that had his bathroom behind it, which also hid the bed and much of the rest of the room from view from the door. She walked down the small hall and almost giggled at the sight that greeted her. Tom was sat on his bed, still in his running clothes, one leg elevated on the pillows from the other side of his bed. 

“I bought you frozen peas.” Elizabeth spoke, holding them up from her side. 

She set them down on the floor by the bed, grabbing the half empty glass of water from the bedside table. She filled it up in the bathroom and mentally slapped herself as she looked at the rim, imagining his lips touching the glass. She handed the glass to him when she returned to his side and popped out to of the pills from the package, handing them over to him. She watched as he swallowed them down with no problem before turning her attention to his ankle. 

A slight thrill ran through Tom’s body as she carefully touched his ankle. He bit his lip as he watched her inspect it intently. She was careful when she moved it to get a better look at the swelling but not careful enough as a gasp left his lips as her fingers pressed a little too hard into it. 

“I’m sorry,” She spoke softly, looking up at him, pulling her mass of long curly hair over one shoulder, revealing her lovely tattoo to him once more, “It looks quite bad, how did you manage to do it?” She asked, placing the bag of frozen peas on it. 

“I was running around the grounds and I guess I wasn’t really watching where I was going. I managed to trip over the biggest tree root you’ve ever seen.” 

“How the hell did you manage to get back up here?” Elizabeth enquired, trying to rest the frozen peas on Tom’s ankle so she didn’t have to hold them. 

“Slowly,” He chuckled, “And carefully.” 

Once she realised the frozen peas had it out for her and were not going to stay where she wanted them, she took them off his skin and stood up. She carefully removed the pillows from under his ankle and gently moved his leg so she could sit where the pillows had been before her. She rested his ankle in her lap and placed the frozen peas back on his skin. She removed her hands and was grateful that her stomach was enough to hold them in place so her hands would be free. 

“You could have asked someone to help you, you know?” She asked, looking at him properly for the first time since entering the room. 

“There was no-one around,” He answered in defense, “I managed perfectly fine anyway, it wasn’t until I got up here that I realised how bad it was.” 

The two were startled by a knock at the door. Elizabeth carefully removed herself and the frozen peas before answering the door. It turned out to be Tom’s dinner. Sam had done one of his specials, his lemon glazed chicken breast and Greek salad and homemade baklava. Elizabeth was jealous of Tom already, realising she hadn’t eaten either. She thanked the young girl and took the tray from her before closing the door. 

“Dinner is served,” Elizabeth spoke, handing Tom the tray of food which he put down on the other side of the bed while Elizabeth moved back to her position, “You’re going to love that all,” she said, pointing to the food on the tray that he moved to his lap as she moved the frozen peas back to his ankle, “It’s one of Sam’s specialities.” 

Tom was thankful for the tray. Not because it held the sustenance he so dearly needed at this point, but because it would hide what Elizabeth’s soft and brief touches were doing to him. He placed it firmly on his lap and willed his body to react no further to her. 

The food became his saviour. All thoughts of Elizabeth’s touch went away as he put the first forkful of chicken into his mouth. It took all his strength to not moan at the taste. The salad was the same. He had never tasted Greek food so good since he had been to Greece itself. 

“This is heavenly,” He spoke, “Is the chef Greek?” He asked, putting another forkful of chicken and salad into his mouth. 

Elizabeth giggled, “No, Sam is British through and through, but he spent a lot of time in Greece in his twenties which is where he learned to do that,” She spoke, pointing to his food, “Wait until you get a taste of his Italian food, it’s just as good.” 

Tom finished his food off pretty quickly, setting the clean dishes to the side. He took a long drink of water before picking up the smaller plate that held six pieces of baklava on. Betraying her, Elizabeth’s stomach chose this point to make the most inhuman noise as punishment for neglecting to feed it. 

“Have you eaten?” Tom asked as Elizabeth busied her now flushed self with inspecting his ankle. 

“Not yet,” She said, putting the frozen peas on back onto his skin, “How bad does it hurt?” 

Tom didn’t reply, merely extending the plate of baklava towards her, “Tummies don’t make that sound if they’ve been fed,” He said simply, “Take it and eat it, please.” He almost begged her. 

Elizabeth reached out and picked up the smallest piece of baklava on the plate. Tom raised his eyebrow but let her carry on. Elizabeth had real issues eating in front of people. She wasn’t skinny and whenever she ate in front of people she didn’t really know she always felt like she was being judged. This time would be no different. She was sat in the hotel room of a rather handsome actor who could probably have his pick of any woman he wanted. Women who probably made it a habit of eating nothing but lettuce and looked dainty and elegant whilst they did. She took small bite of the baklava and cursed Sam for making it taste so good. 

Once she had finished her first piece, Tom was shoving the plate towards her again. She shook her head and tried to refuse, but he was having none of it, “One piece of Baklava isn’t going to fill you up Elizabeth, and if I eat all these I’m going to be sick, so please take another one.” She did as she was told and between the two of them they finished off the plate of sticky goodness. 

Tom thanked his lucky starts that his body had calmed down enough for him to move the tray from his lap. He set the dirty plates on it and pushed it away from him before shifting on the bed to try and get more comfortable. 

“Should you not tell someone about this?” Elizabeth asked, lifting the frozen peas to find the swelling of Tom’s ankle hadn’t gone down at all. 

She was right. He needed to phone his director and let him know that at the very best he wouldn’t be able to put weight enough on it to walk for the next day of filming. He slipped his phone from his pocked and dialled Richard’s number, holding it to his ear as the frozen peas were set back onto his ankle. After a few rings, Richard answered. 

“Tom, what can I do for you?” 

“We’ve got a slight problem,” Tom replied, “I managed to twist my ankle pretty badly on my run earlier and I’m currently holed up in bed with a bag of frozen peas trying to get the swelling down. I’m not sure I’ll be able to put weight on it enough to film tomorrow.” 

“Hold tight, I’m going to come up and punch you in the face.” 

Tom chuckled as he hung up the phone, “He said he’s going to come and punch me in the face.” 

Elizabeth giggled but stood up from her place, careful not to hurt Tom’s ankle more than it already was. She placed it on the pillows like it had been when she had arrived, this time frozen peas balanced carefully on it, being more pliable now they had melted slightly. Tom wondered why she had moved, wanting nothing more than to rest his injured ankle on her for the rest of his days. 

Elizabeth quickly answered the door when a hefty knock signaled Richard was here. He took a double take when she was the one that answered the door, searching his brain for where he had seen the girl before. Remembering she had been the one to give him his key when he had arrived and deemed her safe to be around Tom he entered the room. 

“You are an absolute liability sometimes Hiddleston, you know that right?” Richard spoke when he saw Tom’s predicament. 

“I thoroughly apologise, but those tree roots can be sneaky sometimes.” The two men laughed at that. 

Richard picked up the bag of frozen peas and winced at the swelling, “Are you sure that’s just sprained?” He asked. 

“Well, I can put a little weight on it, which I’m guessing I wouldn’t be able to do if it was broken, so I think it’s just sprained.” 

“Right, well, you best stay off it then and rest the bloody thing,” Richard spoke, “Hopefully you’ll be back to health after a few days.” 

Richard bid both Tom and Elizabeth goodbye after thanking her for her help. She took the frozen peas from his skin before looking at the clock on the wall. It was later than she thought. 

“I need to take these back to the kitchen, I’ll leave the pills so you can take more if you need them.” 

“Thanks, you’re my saviour tonight.” 

“Above and beyond,” Elizabeth replied, “Are you going to be alright getting to bed and stuff?” She asked. 

“I should be okay,” He smiled, “But, if I need anything, put your number in my phone and I’ll give you a shout.” He extended his phone to her. 

Elizabeth hesitated. Did this count as stepping over the boundary line of professionalism? She didn’t know and didn’t think she cared all that much. She took the phone from him and typed her number in his phone before holding it back to him. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow Tom,” She smiled, “Don’t put too much weight on that, or it’s never going to get better.” 

Tom bid Elizabeth goodnight, his final thought at seeing her was how lovely the colour of her wrap dress was on her. 

Elizabeth returned the peas and the tray of dirty plates to Sam in the kitchen, surprised that he had stayed so long. He took it from her and told her to get her arse up to bed. Neither of them did well on little sleep. She smiled, thanked him for his help before saying goodnight to her mother who was still unaware of the patient she had been treating.   
Elizabeth went through her normal night routine before grabbing her phone and putting it on charge. The action revealed a message waiting for her. 

**Thank you for looking after me tonight – Tom x**

Elizabeth found herself smiling as she snuggled down into her pillows. 

**You’re more than welcome. Can’t have the guests indisposed. xx**

Her phone lit up almost immediately with his reply. 

**Well, I’m still thankful. I’m not sure how many guests fall over tree roots but if you care for them like you did me, I’m sure they’ve all recovered fully. x**

Elizabeth giggled as she wrote her reply. 

**Most of them are now buried under the patio. Let’s hope you’re not the next. Goodnight Tom xx**

Elizabeth waited for his reply. 

**I’m not made for the patio just yet. Goodnight Elizabeth x**

That night was the first night in a very long time that Elizabeth had managed to drift off to sleep without needed to read pages of a book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See? I told you things would start heating up for them both! The next couple of chapters are some of my favourite ever that I've written, so hopefully you guys aren't too bored of the slow burn and decide to stick around!   
> One again, your kudos, comments and continued readership are always appreciated!


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter includes Shakespeare geek!Tom and a proposition!

Elizabeth was woken the next morning by a frantic knocking at her door. She grumbled as she pushed the warm sheets from her body and walked to the door, not bothering to cover the short silk night dress with her dressing gown. Whoever was at the door could deal with her like this. She tore open the door and was surprised to see her mother there.

“Well thank God!” She exclaimed, walking uninvited into Elizabeth’s room, “Do you even know what time it is?” She asked once Elizabeth had closed her door and walked to stand next to her bed. 

Elizabeth rubbed at her eyes and looked at the clock on her wall. She gasped. It was nearing 9:30am. No wonder her mother had been frantically knocking at her door. Elizabeth had always made it her job to be awake by 8am, always sending her mother a message to let her know she was up and about and would be down when she was ready. She quickly realised that after messaging Tom the previous night she had fallen asleep without setting her alarm. 

“I’m sorry, I must have slept through the alarm.” Not wanting to admit to her mother that she had forgotten to set one at all. 

Her mother said nothing in reply, instead her eyes settled on the two copies of Shakespeare sat on the desk, “Have you started on those yet?” She asked. 

“Yeah, of course I have,” Elizabeth replied, her mother’s eyes boring into her for the truth, “Okay, so maybe not really, I just don’t understand it!” She exclaimed. 

“Well you aren’t going to understand it if you don’t try!” Her mother countered, “Take the day off and get some of that done or you’ll never pass.” 

“Mum its fine, I can work on it later, I don’t have to take the day off.” Elizabeth pleaded, not wanting to have to spend the day confined to her room trying to understand Shakespeare. 

“Elizabeth, it’s not up for discussion, do well in this and you get a first class degree, so you’re going to sit down and plow through that Shakespeare.” 

Elizabeth nodded in understanding, knowing that fighting with her mother at this point would turn out to be fruitless. Once her mother was gone, Elizabeth hurried around and got dressed before grabbing a quick breakfast of fruit and toast from Sam in the kitchen. She dragged herself begrudgingly back up to her room with a hot cup of tea where she remained for the rest of the day. 

When her phone sounded on the bed behind her at approximately 2pm, Elizabeth nearly wept with joy. Finally, a distraction from the pages of absolute nonsense she was reading. 

**Afternoon Elizabeth. I don’t suppose I could come and peruse that book collection of yours for something to do? I’m going positively insane looking at these four walls. x**

Elizabeth didn’t even think twice before replying.

 **I suppose I could lend you something to stave of insanity. End of your corridor, turn left, I’m the last door on the right. xx**

Elizabeth watch as the message went from delivered to seen and hurried to make her room look presentable. She was a neat person so it didn’t take very long. She finished by laying the open copy of Othello face down so she didn’t lose her page just as a soft knock at her door signalled Tom’s arrival. She ran a hand through her hair before opening the door. She stifled a giggle as Tom hobbled into her room, dressed casually in jeans and plain white t-shirt.

The first thing Tom noticed was the pale yellow colour of Elizabeth’s outfit. It seemed to fit her perfectly, like she was his personal ray of sunshine. Her room was exactly as he expected it to be. Much more homely than any of the other rooms. The bed was different. It had a wrought-iron headframe that his did not. Wrapped around the iron bars was a string of lights that he imagined she turned on whilst reading in bed. There was an empty easel in the corner that Elizabeth must paint at whenever she felt like it. But the crowning glory of the whole room was her bookshelf. Taking up the entire wall opposite her bed, save a small space where she had put her desk. The shelves weren’t full, so much space remained for new books for her to discover. Tom concluded that the room suited Elizabeth down to the ground. 

Tom took a quick glance at her bookshelf and saw The English Patient was safely placed at the end of her collection. He picked it up and read the back, remembering how much he truly loved the story inside of the pages, “Did you read this after?” He asked, turning to see her curled up in the large chair in front of her desk. 

“I did,” She nodded, “Took me less than a day because I couldn’t put it down.” 

“What did you think of it?” 

“It was amazing,” She spoke, “The relationship between Almasy and Katherine was beautiful, doomed from the beginning, completely different from his relationship to Hanna, who I should add is now one of my favourite literary characters.” 

“It’s one of the rare times that a book’s film is just as good as the book,” Tom replied, “They just managed to get it so right.” 

Tom perched himself on the end of Elizabeth’s bed, putting the book next to him as he tried to get comfy. 

“How is your ankle today?” Elizabeth asked, trying to catch a glimpse of a look of discomfort on his face. 

“It’s okay, still swollen but it doesn’t hurt as much as last night, I think it’s all down to your expert nursing.” 

“I’ll give all the credit to the peas I think.” Elizabeth giggled, making Tom give a hearty chuckle as well. 

He was quick to notice after their laughter had dissipated that there were two copies of Shakespeare on her desk. It couldn’t be, could it? That she could become even more perfect in his eyes by liking Shakespeare. 

“Are you a fan?” He asked, nodding towards the open copy of Othello. 

“Absolutely not,” Elizabeth replied almost instantly, making Tom’s heart drop, “I’ve only bought them because it’s what my final exam is going to be on but I cannot for the life of me understand a bloody word the man has written, I just don’t get it, even with the help of the website that tells me exactly what’s going on.” 

Tom chuckled and reached his hand out, motioning for Elizabeth to pass him the copy of Othello. She handed it to him and watched as he marked her page before going back to the beginning. 

“You know, I was Cassio once, so let’s see if I can’t help you.” 

Elizabeth sat in awe as Tom flicked through the pages and read to her. She still didn’t understand a word of what he was saying, but it definitely sounded a lot nicer than the voice in her head did. 

“Do you know what the questions will be about?” He asked, flicking aimlessly through the pages. 

“I think it’s about how Shakespeare uses imagery, which means I not only have to understand what he’s saying, but remember it as well!” 

Tom flicked through the book before stopping right on the page he wanted, “Imagery is Shakespeare’s rock,” He motioned for Elizabeth to come and sit next to him which she gladly did, picking up a pen to make small notes in the book should she need to, “Here, this is where Othello is explaining the storm to Desdemona, ‘And let the labouring bark climb hills of seas Olympus-high and duck again as low as hell’s from heaven’,” He pointed to the ‘labouring bark’ which Elizabeth underlined carefully, “That there, ‘the labouring bark’, that’s the ship, ‘climb hills of sea’, those are big fucking waves,” He paused to breath and noticed Elizabeth smiling, “And this, ‘duck again as low as hell’, that’s like the world is opening up and the ship is sliding down towards the bottom of the earth.” 

Tom turned his head to look at Elizabeth who was looking at him with what could only be described as a look of wonder. Her eyes, normally a bright blue, had darkened only a little and the smile on her lips was infectious. 

“I think if my teacher’s at school had been this enthusiastic about Shakespeare it would have been a lot easier.” She spoke, moving away slightly when she realised how close to Tom she had moved as she had listened to him speak. 

“Imagery is a really easy question for Othello,” Tom spoke, flipping back to some of the first pages, feeling a little disappointment at Elizabeth moving away from him, even if it were just a few inches, “Here, when they refer to him as an old black ram, or the Barbary horse.” 

The pair stayed sat on Elizabeth’s bed for another forty-five minutes whilst Tom explained different types of imagery that she could use in her exam, pausing for her to make notes in the book. He noted as she wrote that her handwriting suited her. Once Tom had deemed Elizabeth to have enough knowledge of Shakespearean imagery he perched her copy of The English Patient in his lap and began reading as she curled up into her chair and continued reading The Constant Gardener that she had abandoned in her efforts to nurse him last night. 

“Have you been avoiding me?” Tom suddenly asked, not being able to contain his curiosity at her sudden disappearance after their conversation a few nights ago. 

“What do you mean?” Elizabeth asked, looking up briefly from the page. 

“Well, after your mother gave you the death stare the other evening, I didn’t see you until my call for help, were you avoiding me?” 

Elizabeth sighed and put her book down on the desk, resting her head on her hand, looking at Tom. Yes, she had been avoiding him. She was scared about how easily he had wormed his way into her affections. A handsome face and someone who was nice seemed to be all it took. Which scared her. It had been the same last time, and she remembered with a shudder how that had ended. 

“Maybe avoiding isn’t the right term,” She replied, “My mum usually knows what she’s talking about and I guess I thought she was right, me being seen, not just by the other hotel staff, but by your fellow cast and crew, talking to you like we’re old friends, what kind of impression does that give? That Jill in the kitchen can come out and fire up a conversation with Jeremy Irons?” 

“You didn’t seem all that bothered when she gave you the look,” Tom countered, being careful not to lose his page, “If you had been you would have stood up and followed her away from me,” He noticed that Elizabeth’s face dropped a little, this obviously wasn’t something she wanted to be talking about and the last thing Tom wanted was to push her further from him, “Look, I don’t want to push you, but I think there are things you aren’t telling me, problems or issues beyond your mother.” 

“I’ve known you for a week Tom, all I know about you is your name and your job, forgive me if you don’t get to unlock my back story that quickly.” 

Tom was taken aback by her tone. Sharp. Unfriendly. Verging on anger. It didn’t suit her and he didn’t like being the one to have caused it. 

 

“I’m sorry Elizabeth,” He said quietly, “Let me ask you something?” 

“You just did,” She countered, animosity still in her tone, “But do go on.” 

“How about I take you to dinner, away from the hotel, and we can get to know each other that way?” He hoped she would say yes, “A chance to speak without worrying about your mother’s disapproving look or what kind of example you’re setting.” 

Elizabeth bit down gently on her thumb as she thought. Something in the back of her mind was screaming at her to say no. To throw him out of her room and tell him to try someone else. That it was all too good to be true. Then the other part of her was screaming at her to accept. That he had been so lovely to her and every time she saw him a warm feeling spread through her belly. 

“Okay.” was the reply that left her lips, causing Tom to break out into a grin. 

“As soon as this ankle means I don’t have to hobble around, I’ll take you to dinner.” 

Tom stayed in her room until dinner, where he bid her farewell to eat dinner with his cast mates. Elizabeth took the opportunity to tell her mother that something had shone through and she now understood everything there was to understand about Othello. Thankfully she didn’t enquire as to what had changed her tune and instead told Elizabeth how pleased she was. 

Elizabeth then made her way to the kitchen where Sam was cleaning up from dinner service, “Anything left for me?” She asked, smiling as Sam produced a bowl of his famous citrus salad. 

“Good day?” He enquired as Elizabeth opted to sit on the mental countertop and eat her salad instead of taking up to the dining room. 

She sighed heavily as she shoved a forkful of salad into her mouth, the regret of accepting Tom’s invitation to dinner bubbling to the surface. 

“That’s a no then,” Sam spoke, putting his towel over his shoulder to lean on his hands over the counter, “What’s up kiddo?” 

Elizabeth dropped her fork into the bowl of salad and set it down on the side, “I got asked to dinner today.” She said simply. 

Sam looked at the girl and raised one of his greying eyebrows at her. He had known her since her mother had hired him for the hotel when Elizabeth had been just seventeen. He had seen her go through things no young woman should have to endure, all at the hands of men who were meant to care for her, this was most unusual of her, “Might I ask who he is?” 

“He’s one of the actors here, so under no circumstance can you mention anything to my mother.” She added quickly. 

“I wouldn’t dream of it kiddo, I know exactly what she’ll say,” He chuckled a little but noticed that Elizabeth wasn’t, “Why did you say yes?” He asked, genuinely curious as to why the shy, mostly closed off girl in front of him would say yes to something that brought her so much worry. 

“I don’t know Sam, part of me was telling me not to do it but then this overwhelming sense that I’d be a fool if I did took over and replied before I could think anymore of it.” 

“What makes him different?” 

Elizabeth paused at Sam’s question. What did make Tom different? 

“I honestly don’t know, Sam,” She spoke honestly, moving her salad back into her lap, “Hopefully I’ll get my answer if I do go.” 

“So you’re going then?” He asked, going back to cleaning up as she went back to eating. 

“Well I’ve already said I would, I don’t think I could turn around and say no.” 

“If it makes you uncomfortable of course you can.” 

“That’s the thing though,” She said with a mouthful of lettuce, “It doesn’t, but then again, I wasn’t uncomfortable last time until it was too late.” 

Sam said nothing to that. The two of them finished both of their respective tasks in silence. Elizabeth hopped down from the counter and handed Sam her finished bowl and cutlery. She kissed him cheek and thanked him for her food before turning to leave, hoping to get an early night so she was alert and awake at a decent time the next morning. 

“Don’t dwell on the past, kiddo,” Sam said as she put her hand on the door handle to leave, “Not everyone in this world will want to hurt you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoy this one! We're finally leading up to Elizabeth and Tom taking the next step in their 'relationship' and I'm so excited for you guys to finally see what I've been planning and writing!   
> As always, a huge thank-you to everyone for their continued readership, comments and kudos! It keeps me writing! I'm so glad that you guys are enjoying what I've been working on!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Tom takes Elizabeth to dinner and we learn a little bit about her past!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up, this is the last chapter before the smut starts! Let's rejoice!!!!

**Dinner tonight. I’ll meet you outside at 7pm. Dress up. x**

Since receiving the message from Tom at eleven-thirty that morning Elizabeth had been ruminating over several things. The first being what the bloody hell she was going to wear. She had a wardrobe full of clothes but no matter what she ran through in her head from her place at the front desk, she couldn’t think of anything worthy. The second being how she was going to sneak out to the front of the hotel without being noticed by her mother. 

The second issue was easily solved. Elizabeth knew she had to tell her mother she was going out, otherwise she could guarantee she would come back to a full blown police search. The question was, what lie could she come up with that would mean her mother would allow her out of the hotel with minimal questions whilst being dressed up to the nines. 

During her break for lunch, when Elizabeth sat down in the kitchen with Sam, he suggested that she look for events on in town. Elizabeth quickly found that one of the bars within Gloucester was holding a poetry reading evening, which seemed like the perfect ruse. 

“You know she’s probably going to figure out you’re off gallivanting when she realises your lover boy isn’t at dinner.” 

Elizabeth still hadn’t divulged to Sam who it was exactly that was taking her to dinner. She was sure he expected it to be one of the lesser known of the cast who would end up getting very little screen time and that assumption suited Elizabeth. She didn’t want everyone to know that Tom Hiddleston was taking her to dinner. 

“I’ll deal with that when I get back,” Elizabeth spoke, “I’d just rather be chastised and sent to my room with a belly full of food than on an empty stomach before I’ve made it out of the door.” 

She gave Sam a quick hug, promising that she would be safe and behave herself before taking a cup of tea up to her mother who was tending the front desk. 

“There’s a poetry evening in town tonight,” Elizabeth said casually, setting down the cup of tea, “One of the girls from the bookshop has invited me to go for dinner with her and then go and see it, if that’s okay?” 

Her mother looked searchingly for a moment into Elizabeth’s eyes, which she willed not to give away that she was telling a rather large white lie. It seemed to work though.  
“As long as you’re careful and don’t drive, its fine.” 

Elizabeth quickly thanked her mother with a kiss on the cheek before bounding up the stairs to decide what to wear. 

The butterflies in Elizabeth’s stomach had encouraged her to be ready a good forty-five minutes before she was due to meet Tom. In that forty-five minutes, Elizabeth had reduced herself to a nervous wreck. She didn’t know why – she’d had conversations with Tom without feeling this way, but this time would be different. He was going to know things about her at the end of the night that she didn’t really want him to know. Not because she didn’t think he deserved to know, but because talking about her past was hard. By the time the clock on the wall had hit five minutes to seven Elizabeth had convinced herself she looked awful and would have much rather curled up in bed and forgotten about Tom Hiddleston and his stupid dinner idea. 

She waved to her mother as she left the hotel, begging that she wouldn’t wander out as she was clambering into a car with a hotel guest who was taking her to dinner. Elizabeth would have gotten into the car as quickly as she could if it hadn’t been for the sight that greeted her when she had walked across the gravel car park. 

Tom Hiddleston was leant up against the side of the car looking devastatingly handsome. He was wearing a white button up shirt with the top few buttons undone. Suit trousers that were just a fraction too short and unforgivably tight. God forbid he should turn around because Elizabeth wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep her eyes away from him.  
Tom was as much in awe of Elizabeth as she was of him when she came to a stop in front of him. The deep maroon lace dress stopped just below her knees, the dark colour making her skin look even paler than it was. Her shoes had a small heel on and were matched perfectly in colour to her dress, a quirk that Tom was beginning to grow very fond of. 

“I hope you don’t mind, but someone is driving us there and back so we can both have a drink.” Tom spoke after realising he’d stayed silent for far too long admiring the girl in front of him. 

Elizabeth had no issue with that. She was sure that a glass of wine would help loosen her up to whatever it was that Tom would ask her. She smiled at him as he opened the car door for her and took her hand loosely in his to help her into the car before dashing around the other side to situate himself in the seat next to her. Elizabeth introduced herself to the young man driving the car before falling into a comfortable silence. 

Elizabeth almost died of excitement when the car pulled up outside one of her favourite restaurants in town. It was a small Thai kitchen, run by a small family. They served food that their families had been making for hundreds of years. She graciously accepted Tom’s outstretched hand as he helped her from the car. She waited on the pavement as he thanked his friend for driving them in and that he would message him when they were ready to come home. Tom led her gently with a barely there touch of his hand to her back. 

“Ah Miss Elizabeth!” Was what greeted her as she walked in through the door with Tom in tow, “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen you here!” 

Tom looked at her with a raised eyebrow as they were seen to a small table towards the back of the restaurant. 

“You’ve been here before?” He asked once the old man who had greeted them had handed them menus and left. 

“I think most of their income comes from me and my mum,” She giggled, “When you taste the food, you’ll understand why.” 

“I guess I didn’t need to worry all day that Thai food would be slightly too adventurous, did I?” 

Elizabeth shook her head in reply before setting down her menu, already knowing what she was going to have. 

“How did you manage to convince your mother to let you out tonight?” He asked, semi-teasing her. 

She laughed, “I told her I was going to a poetry reading with some people from the bookshop.” 

It wasn’t until Elizabeth and Tom were halfway through their food and nearing the end of their first bottle of wine that he began asking her questions.

“So, how do two people like you and your mother end up owning what can only be described as a country mansion and turn it into a hotel?” 

Tom watched intently as Elizabeth drained the last of her wine, set down her cutlery on her empty plate and bit down on her red stained lips as she thought for a moment. 

“It was our prize I guess you could say.” She offered as her answer as a waiter placed a second bottle of red wine down on the table. 

“A prize?” Tom asked, filling their glasses back up, “What for?” 

Elizabeth sighed and took a deep drink of wine. No holding back now. “A prize for putting up with my father.” 

Tom looked into her bright blue eyes, trying to discern as to whether this was the best path to be going down at this point in time. He wanted to learn as much as possible about the girl in front of him, but not if it was going to upset her in a restaurant. There seemed to be no signs of grief in her eyes at that point, so he urged her to go on.  
“He and my mum met around four years before I was born, he was slaving away to make money from the company he inherited from my late grandfather and my mum tells the story that it was love at first sight,” She sipped her wine, carefully choosing her words, “He was a proper gentleman, swept her off her feet and made her feel like a princess, all of that other clichéd stuff. By the time I was born he was earning thousands of pounds from a mixture of stocks his father had left him and an art dealing business. He was always the doting father I wanted, bought me presents, took me for walks through the forest,” She stopped, getting caught up in the old memories, “But then everything changed. He started travelling more to collect more rare and expensive pieces. By the time I was sixteen, my mother decided she’d had enough. Turns out he’d been cheating on her in however many cities he’d travelled to. Whenever he was home they would argue like the best of them, they would throw things at each other and scream at each other way into the night,” Elizabeth began playing with the stem of the wine glass, doing anything to avoid actually looking at Tom, “One night, after it had been really bad, she packed our things and we left. Just got into the car and drove, that’s when we stumbled across the hotel. Massive for sale sign at the bottom of the road. My mum filed for divorce at the end of that week. He got everything because he could afford a better lawyer, the house, the car, their savings account, everything. He told her that he didn’t want anything to do with me anymore either. That was what broke her. That he had doted on me until now, never wanted to see either of us again. So in exchange for that, she asked for enough money to buy what is our hotel now, which he gladly gave. Anything to be rid of us, it would seem.” 

She dragged her gaze from the wine glass and met Tom’s stare. He was looking intently at her, a look of pure misery spread across his face for her. 

“I can’t imagine what that must have done to you both,” He spoke softly, trying to reach out for her hand, Elizabeth pulled her hand away quickly to avoid touching him, he couldn’t hide his disappointment at her lack of want of physical contact, “My parents divorced when I was really young, I didn’t really understand it, I just knew it meant shipping me off to boarding school and seeing my dad less, it’s nothing compared to what you must have felt.” 

Elizabeth shook her head, “Ever since that we’ve never been the same, we put everything into that hotel. Two years of remodelling and training meant that my mum didn’t really have to think about him leaving, but once it was all done and we started getting guests in, she didn’t deal well. She was depressed and blamed herself for it all, when really it was all him being a selfish prick,” She looked around her quickly to see if anyone had heard her small outburst, “It the whole reason I didn’t go off to university. I couldn’t leave her on her own. So I helped her build that place up to what it is today. It something that we built from the ruins of our old life I guess, something we’re really proud of.” 

“And so you should be,” Tom smiled, “It’s a lovely place.” 

She thanked him quietly and was thankful that he didn’t probe anymore into her life previous to his arrival into it. Those other demons were another thing entirely. Once they had finished their second bottle of wine and had shared cheesecake for dessert, Tom messaged his friend who promptly picked them up outside the restaurant one they had profusely thanked the owners for their food. 

Elizabeth told Tom that her mother would probably be in her office after checking her watch. They had to move quickly and quietly, which was easier said than done by two people who had drunk two bottles of rather expensive red wine between them. They managed to slip past reception and up the stairs unnoticed. Elizabeth thanked her lucky stars for it as the came to a stop outside of Tom’s door. 

“Thank you for tonight.” She said quietly, smiling at him as he leaned against the door frame. 

“No, thank you Elizabeth,” He said, almost as softly, taking a small step towards her, “For sharing that back there, I’m honoured that you trust me enough.” 

She said nothing as he took another step towards her. Her breath hitched in her throat as his fingers moved her hair from her neck to rest behind her shoulder. His fingertips brushed lightly against the milky skin of her neck as he retracted his hand. Elizabeth’s eyes tried to focus on anything but Tom’s face as he wrapped his arms softly around her waist to pull her into him. Her hands ended up pressed against his chest as she looked up into his eyes finally. A shade of blue she’d never seen. Dark but inviting, filled with a look she’d never seen before. One of Tom’s hand moved to the side of her neck, pulling her face closer to his before pressing his lips gently to Elizabeth’s. 

Almost instantly something snapped in Elizabeth’s mind. It didn’t even give her time to think about how wonderful his lips felt pressed ever so gently against her own. She pushed all her weight into her hands on his chest to push him back from her. Her breathing was heavy as images of the last time she had been like this with someone flooded her mind. She noticed Tom searching her face for any signs that he had done something. 

“Elizabeth, what’s wrong?” He asked, reaching his hand out to touch her, “Was it me?” 

Elizabeth couldn’t help it when her bottom lip started to tremble and her eyes started to well with tears, “N..no Tom, it’s not you,” She stuttered out, “I ca…can’t, I just can’t tell you.” 

Elizabeth saw his face change a little, she couldn’t place his expression other than the fact that it had hardened from his look of sympathy and worry that his own actions had caused her to push him away and start crying. 

“What do you mean you can’t tell me? I thought that was the purpose of tonight?” He spoke, trying his best to stay calm, there was obviously something she wasn’t telling him.  
Elizabeth looked at him, knowing there wasn’t really a way to save this, “I just can’t t..tell y..you.” She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. 

“Well, when you’re ready to finally talk to me, you know where I am.” Tom said finally, walking into his room and shutting his door with more force than intended. 

He knew he made a mistake as soon as her heard a sob escape Elizabeth’s lips from the other side of the door. All he wanted to do in that moment was tear it open, envelop her into his arms and calm her down. He listened carefully to her small cries as she walked down the corridor towards her room. He thoroughly chastised himself for what he’d done. His anger was completely unneeded. There were obviously things that had happened to her, other than the complete abandonment from her father, if that wasn’t traumatic enough. 

Tom got ready for bed trying not to think of what a complete tosser he’d been to Elizabeth, who was probably sitting in her room feeling unbelievably sad. Had he thought it would make things better, he would have gone to her. He was probably the last thing she wanted to see, so he opted instead to send her one message before going to bed to be ready on set the next day. 

**Elizabeth, I am so sorry. x**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, now we know a little bit more about Elizabeth and her past, but trust me, there is still a lot more to know about her!  
> Thank you once again for your readership! I'd love to know what you're thinking, so leave me comments and/or kudos if you enjoyed!  
> And like I said, the next chapter is the one we've all been waiting for!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY. THE SMUT.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for talk of domestic abuse and explicit smut! Enjoy!

Elizabeth hadn’t stopped thinking about the message since she had turned her phone on and seen it that morning. She had been restless all night, she had cried more than she’d have like to admit and couldn’t help but blame herself. If she had only opened up when Tom had asked her what was wrong then who knows what would have happened for the rest of the evening. She had wanted to reply to the message immediately, but then her anger set in. His outburst was completely uncalled for. So she vowed to spend the rest of the day avoiding him. The set call had been later that day than it had been previously which meant Elizabeth had to hide in her mother’s office to avoid seeing Tom before he left. Her mother didn’t ask her questions about the night previous. Either she didn’t care or she knew that Elizabeth had lied to her as to where she had gone and with whom. 

Tom couldn’t concentrate on much that day on set. His performance suffered for what he had done last night. His mind couldn’t focus on his lines properly which meant doing more takes than he was happy to do. Whenever anyone spoke to him, cast or crew, he couldn’t concentrate. His mind kept settling on the sound of Elizabeth’s sob as she walked away from his door and the image of her curled up on her bed crying because of him. He plodded on through the day, avoiding answering any questions about how he was feeling by answering with a terse ‘I’m fine’ before walking off. 

Once back at the hotel that night, a little later than usual and after a small pit stop in town to pick something up, Tom almost thought about skipping dinner. He wanted to see Elizabeth desperately, to pull her to one side and apologise for what a prat he had been the night before. He hadn’t even thought about what she had thought about his kiss. His mind had purely been focused on the hurt he’d caused her. His cheeks flushed red as he pushed the feeling of her lips from her mind. It hadn’t mattered to Tom that it had only lasted a few seconds, all that mattered was that finally, he knew what it felt like. 

There was no sign of Elizabeth anywhere between his room and the dining room, he couldn’t tell if he was disappointed or delighted. He sat quietly with the usual suspects at his table and ate his food almost in silence, only speaking on the few occasions that he was spoken to. Just as he was about to give up and go to his room, he watched Elizabeth and her mother walk into the dining room. He willed the younger girl to turn and look at him but she didn’t, opting instead to sit in a seat which had her back facing him. He sighed deeply and situated himself back in his chair to wait until the people around his table retired to their rooms. 

Unlike most nights, Jeremy and their director Richard seemed keen to talk over a few drinks. Tom watched as Elizabeth and her mother finished their food and stood. He watched Elizabeth’s mother kiss her cheek and motioned for her daughter to head up the stairs. Maybe this was his chance. He waited for the women to leave the room and then waited another few minutes before taking his leave of his friends. 

“I’m going to head on up guys,” He replied, finishing the last bit of liquid in his glass, “I’ll see you all tomorrow.” 

“Let’s hope you’re back to your normal self tomorrow.” Was the reply of Jeremy, who gave Tom a look that said ‘we all have off days, not to worry’. 

He bounded up the stairs to his room and grabbed what he hoped would be the start of a peace offering to Elizabeth, before quietly making his way down the corridor to her room. He stood outside for a moment before plucking up the courage to knock on the door. He could hear fumbling behind the door so he knew she was in. He just hoped she wouldn’t slam the door in his face as soon as she opened it. 

Elizabeth yanked open the door to her room ready to give the person behind it a piece of her mind for interrupting her night time routine. It was nearing 10pm and although Elizabeth’s mother had given her daughter permission to have a day off the next day so she could do some more studying, she had wanted to get an early night. 

When she saw who it was behind the door, she geared up even more to give Tom Hiddleston a piece of her mind, but found herself silent and stuck to the spot. After a moment of silence, she spoke. 

“Can I help you?” She hadn’t meant for it to come out so clinical and professional, but maybe it was a good thing it had, whatever he wanted to say to her, it was obvious that he wasn’t going to have an easy time convincing her that he’d made a complete fool of himself and that he was sorry. 

“Elizabeth I know I don’t deserve one ounce of forgiveness after last night, but I just need you to know how sorry I am,” Tom took a breath, afraid she would interrupt or not let him finish, “I was a prat and I shouldn’t have thought that I deserved to know everything about you. What you shared last night with me must have been hard enough for you to do, and there I was waltzing around like you owed me more when in fact, you don’t owe me anything.” 

Elizabeth went to open her mouth to reply when Tom held a hand up signalling that he wasn’t done. 

“I know I upset you and I know you must want nothing to do with me at this point in time but I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am,” He sighed, feeling like his words were failing him, so he brought his back-up plan, “I bought a peace offering.” He said, extending his hand to her. 

She smiled slightly at the gift being pushed her way. The English Patient on film. She took it from him and turned it over, reading the back of it before looking up at him. She searched his eyes and was slightly taken back by the emotion on his face. He wasn’t off the hook yet, but he was getting there. 

“Are you going to come in?” She asked, moving to the side so he could come in. Tom looked at her like she was made, “Well I’m not going to watch it on my own.” 

Tom walked slowly into her room and noticed it was different from the last time he was here. The large curtains were drawn across the doors that led to her balcony, along with the smaller windows being covered as well. The string of fairy lights hanging from her bed frame washed the room in a pale yellow light, enhanced by the flickering of a few scented candles dotted around the room. Tom concluded she had been getting ready for bed, but he didn’t bring up the subject. She might send him away and he didn’t want that. He’d gotten further with his apology than he had anticipated and didn’t want to be turned away at this point. 

Elizabeth motioned for Tom to set himself on the bed. He pulled the pillows into a comfortable position before sitting back against them, crossing once outstretched leg over the other as Elizabeth set up the film on her TV. Once she had put it to play, she joined Tom on the bed, situating herself in a very similar position but all too far away for Tom’s liking. 

Tom watched Elizabeth intently more than he watched the film. It didn’t matter how much he enjoyed the film, he was more interested in Elizabeth’s reactions as someone watching for the first time. He smiled when she laughed at the circle of people telling stories and dancing, she gasped at the intensity of Katherine and Almasy’s lovemaking, held her face in her hands at any time Hanna was on screen and cried at the end. He had also been lucky to catch her look of discomfort anytime Katherine struck Almasy, he filed that away for later. 

He watched as she silently stood from the bed to turn the TV off once the credits started to roll. Tom waited for her to turn around and became slightly concerned when instead of doing that, she buried her face in her hands and began crying. He stood immediately and rushed to her side, but didn’t touch her, not wanting to step over where her comfort line was. 

“Elizabeth, is everything okay?” He asked, concern flooding his tone. 

“It’s just such a beautiful story,” She sighed, looking up to him with a few tears slipping down her cheeks, “They loved each other so dearly and could only be together in the end, when they both died, it’s so morbid yet so romantic,” Tom gave her a small smile, letting his hand brush gently against her arm, “I wish someone loved me like that.” 

The last part was added so quietly that had he not been fully listening to her Tom would have missed it. The sentence inexplicably broke his heart and he threw all caution to the wind and pulled her into his chest, wrapping one arm around her waist, the other around her shoulders with his hand resting on the back of her head. 

Elizabeth moulding completely into the hug, completely forgetting her anger towards Tom. All she wanted in that moment was to be held. Something felt right about being held in his arms. His hands felt like they were at home stroking her bright red curls as his chin rested lightly on the top of head. His scent filled her senses, he smelt musky and clean and Elizabeth knew from this point she was done for. No-one had made her feel this safe, this at home. But she knew she had to be honest with Tom. No more secrets, no more hiding. Complete honesty. 

She pulled away from his embrace and motioned to the kettle on the small table next to her bookshelf. Tom nodded but motioned for Elizabeth to sit down, he would do this. Elizabeth folded herself into her chair and graciously accepted the warm mug of tea once it was pressed into her hands. 

“I feel like I need to be honest with you Tom.” She said simply, cradling the mug of tea in her hands like it was her lifeline. 

“Elizabeth you don’t have to do or tell me anything you don’t want to tell me.” He spoke, sitting on the end of her bed completely opposite her. 

“No Tom, this is something you need to know if we’ve got any hope.” 

The idea that she was even considering something, anything, with Tom was an exhilarating thought, although he was sure what she was about to tell him wasn’t going to be easy for him to hear, let alone for her to tell him. 

“When I was about twenty I went through a period of time where I doubted everything, my dad had left, he didn’t want to see me, we had this new hotel but my mum was sick and I just started questioning anything. Why? Was it me? What did I need to do to make it better? What was wrong with me? Things like that,” She sighed, not wanting to look Tom in the eye, “I started trying to find who I thought I should be, mostly everyone I’d ever known had been at university for two years, they were partying, being young and yet I was stuck trying to run a hotel whilst trying to help my mother get better, so for once I started thinking of myself. I would go to bars and get drunk and latch on to whoever would listen to me moan about how difficult everything was. Until one night when I practically fell into someone’s arms,” Elizabeth set her mug down and rubbed her hands over her face, remaining silent for a few moments, “He was everything I thought a man would ever be, a gentleman, he would take me on romantic dates, he’d read to me, pay for dinner, take me on long walks and kiss me so softly and sweetly that I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. He was everything I wanted for a year or so, and then everything changed.”   
Tom listened carefully to what Elizabeth was saying. He was scared by where her story was going, but wouldn’t interrupt. She needed the space to speak to him freely and he was more than happy to give her that. 

“I turned up at his house later than planned because I’d helped my mum with some late arrivals. He was so angry that he practically dragged me into his house and began shouting at me about how I took him and his graciousness for granted,” Elizabeth took a sip of her tea, only to wet her mouth that had gone very dry all of a sudden, “At first it was just things like that, I found myself always wary of doing things wrong, being late, taking too long in the bathroom, anything that would wind him up. It went on like that for a year. My mum and Sam both noticed me change, I was quiet and I didn’t really talk about him anymore, I think they both realised something was wrong but didn’t want to say anything, but then it got worse.” 

Elizabeth took a deep breath before continuing the story. 

“It was his birthday and I’d bought him a new watch. He’d been complaining that he needed a new one so I thought it was the only safe thing I could buy him without getting it wrong. He opened it and it turns out that his mum had bought him the same one. He threw it across the kitchen and the next thing I knew he had me pinned up against the wall by my wrists. They bruised so hard from where he had grabbed me. But it was my fault, so I had to apologise,” A lone tear fell down Elizabeth’s cheek, this had been the first and only time she had spoken about it so freely to someone who wasn’t her mother or Sam, “I knew it wasn’t right but he always manipulated me to make me feel like it was my fault, ‘Baby I didn’t mean to but you know not to make me angry’, that kind of thing. Having to hide the bruises from mum and Sam became so hard. It turns out that they both knew what was happening before I told them, apparently the scarves and bracelets and hundreds of pounds spent on make-up didn’t do the job very well.” 

“What made you get out?” Tom asked, the only time he’d spoken after a few minutes of silence. 

“There was one night here when I went down to the kitchen to make a cup of tea in the middle of the night. I’d become so scared to sleep around him that it seemed the only logical thing to do. I was stood in the kitchen, the middle of the night, when he came stalking down to scream at me not to leave him without telling him where I was going. I don’t know what I was thinking but I snapped and told him if I was such a pain in the ass to him that he should just go.” 

Elizabeth’s voice faltered as more tears welled in her eyes. She blinked and let them fall but didn’t move to wipe them from her face. 

“He came up to me, right in my face, and told me I should be lucky that someone like him had chosen someone like me, ‘A fat cow like you should feel privileged that someone like me chose you’, I think were his exact words. I pushed him away from me which took him by surprise and he ended up on the floor. I don’t know how it happened but by the time I was running to the door he was up and had picked up the mug from the side and had thrown it at my back. He threw it so hard it broke on my skin, hot water and glass don’t mix very well,” The memory in Elizabeth’s mind was so fresh that she could see it all unfold in her eyes whilst she spoke, “My mum and one of the guests on the ground floor heard the commotion and found me on the floor being punched. I blacked out once they got him off me and I haven’t seen him since.” 

Elizabeth looked at Tom for the first time and saw his look of complete disbelief. Not that he didn’t believe her story, because he did, every last single word of it. He just couldn’t believe that someone so gentle and kind could have elicited such treatment. He wordlessly put his mug on the floor and set himself in front of Elizabeth’s chair on his knees. He took both her hands in one of his and pressed a gentle kiss to her hands. 

The tenderness of Tom’s actions did nothing to calm Elizabeth down. After opening her heart to him she didn’t really know what she had expected, but it hadn’t been for him to drop to his knees in front of her and press the softest kiss to her knuckles. Her heart burst in her chest and all she could do was cry harder. No-one had ever been this tender with her. 

“Elizabeth I…” Tom began, finding that unusually, all words were failing him, “I don’t pretend to understand what any of what you just told me feels like, nor can I understand why someone would do any of that to you, sweet girl,” he kept her hands clasped in his own, “But I do know that it’s not your fault, never will it have been your fault,” He let one of his hands move from her hands to run his thumb over her cheek, pushing the tears that fell from her eyes away, “Has there been no-one else since?” He asked, wincing slightly at the feeling that washed over him. Insensitive. That was word that came to mind. 

Elizabeth shook her head in answer, the feeling of his thumb wiping away her tears was all she could focus on, “He ruined everything Tom,” She said quietly between trying to take deep breaths to calm herself down, “The idea of romance, the gentleman, all those people in my books who find the right person who treats them right, it made me scared. Scared of men, because all they’ve ever done in my life is leave me or hurt me,” She looked into Tom’s eyes, blue eyes filled with sympathy met her own, “So last night, when you kissed me, something just snapped in my mind, the last time someone had kissed me they had been the same person that beat me senseless, scarred me, and all my brain could do was scream that you would do the same.” 

Tom’s other hand left Elizabeth’s lying in her lap as it cupped her other cheek, “I would never dream of hurting you Elizabeth, ever, do you understand that?” He asked, Elizabeth nodded her head, “You are the most sincere, intriguing, lovely, beautiful girl I have ever met and how anyone could look at you and want to hurt you is beyond me.” 

Tom, finding once more that words just aren’t cutting it, stands up from his place on his knees in front of Elizabeth and pulled her up from the chair she was sat in. He pulls her tight, never losing her gaze at all, bringing his right arm around her waist, his body enveloping hers in loving warmth, a warmness never felt before. He returns one hand to her cheek, moving Elizabeth’s face so that she looks him straight in his eyes, where hers had been trying to find anything else to look at. 

"Elizabeth..." Tom begins, only to pause, carefully trying to structure what he wants to say; his thoughts trapped in the moment "Had I known, perhaps I'd have approached things more delicately, but there was something in that moment. A spark. And even now, knowing what you've told me, I don't regret a single thing."

Elizabeth rested her hands on Tom’s chest, much like she had the night before, but this time she felt different. This hold wasn’t one that was trying to keep her in place. She could leave easily if she wanted to. This was a hold filled with nothing but care and compassion. She angled her face so she could look at Tom, who was in turn looking down at her, one hand still rested on her cheek. 

“Can I try again?” He asked softly, as if he was afraid someone else other than the two of them would hear him. 

Elizabeth didn’t speak, she just raised her chin and looked into his eyes, hoping that hers were silently giving him the permission he was seeking. Tom’s other hand came up to rest on Elizabeth’s other cheek, causing her to shut her eyes in anticipation. She felt Tom exhale lightly from his nose before his lips pressed gently to her own. 

It was a barely there kiss. Tom was afraid that after all she had told him, if he wasn’t careful, memories of the man who had hurt her would come flooding back to her. He was determined that he would erase every bad connotation from that man, starting with the feeling of someone else’s lips on her own. 

This time, when Tom’s lips met her own, she wasn’t thinking of anything else. There was an itch of discomfort in the back of her mind, but she swiftly reminded herself that this was Tom, not some violent, worthless man that wanted to hurt her. 

Elizabeth moved her hands from Tom’s chest to rest at the back of his neck, pulling him closer to her, his lips now flush against her own. The move had surprised Tom but he moved into it none-the-less, slipping his hands from her cheek to wrap around her waist, pulling her lower body flush against his own. 

Tom felt Elizabeth’s mouth open ever so gently against his own. Gently, Tom opened his and decided that Elizabeth could lead the way. He didn’t want to press her. He almost died from happiness when she angled her head and their tongues met. Tom let out a small throaty sound as he tasted her. There was a vague hint of vanilla, which he assumed had come from a lip balm. There was a deep taste of the tea she had drank but almost something sweet that he couldn’t put his finger on. He decided then and there that he would never tire of kissing the girl in his arms. 

Elizabeth’s hands slipped down from Tom’s neck, all the way down his body to list his t-shirt up just enough to be able to tentatively rest the tips of her fingers against the skin just above the waistband of his jeans. Elizabeth felt herself get significantly braver as she pulled her lips away from Tom’s. She looked into his eyes, he watched as her bright blue eyes jolted back and forth a little, searching his own. She moved her lips to the side of his face to whisper in his ear. 

“Take it off.” She said simply, tugging at the hem of his t-shirt. 

Tom was startled by her request. Had she not just shared her deepest story with him, he would have taken it off without another word, but somehow this didn’t feel right. 

“Elizabeth, I can’t, not after what you just told me.” Was his reply. 

He was expecting her to pull away but she didn’t, just pulled back to look at him, “Tom I’m asking you to make love to me. I’ve spent the last few years being scared of any man that so much looked at me, I’m sick and tired of that. So for God sake, take your bloody shirt off and take me to bed.” 

Tom took a few seconds to decide whether this was really what she wanted before detangling himself from her to lift his shirt over his head. He didn’t give Elizabeth time to appraise his body, instead, he pulled her back to his mouth and kissed her, working her own tank top over her head, letting it drop to the floor next to his shirt. He then took her gently by the hips and moved her back towards her bed. He let her scoot up the bed whilst undoing his belt, pulling it through the loops of his jeans before letting it drop to the floor with a clang. 

Tom trailed wet kisses up her body before coming to stop at her neck. He pressed a small kiss just above her collarbone, his body swam with delight as she let out a breathy moan and arched her body ever so slightly up into his own. He moved up to press more chaste kisses to her lips as he pulled her hips up. She didn’t seem to understand that he wanted them up so he could get the skirt off her. 

“Lift your hips up,” He whispered, “I need to get this off.” 

Elizabeth obliged silently, lifting her hips off the bed, watching intently as Tom pulled the lavender skirt and grey tights from her body in one swift movement. He sat back on his heels and took a moment to admire the woman below him. Her red hair played out against her pillows, her pale skin was inviting him to lay kisses on every inch he could reach. The nude lace of her underwear was almost lost against the colour of her skin, though there was a striking pattern of light purple flowers at the top of the cups of her bra and along the waistband of her knickers. He was conflicted, he wanted to keep the pretty lace on her as long as he could, but he was itching to get at the skin beneath it. 

Before he could decide what to do, Elizabeth had sat up and had unbuttoned his jeans, pushing gently at them so that Tom would come back to the moment and shuck them off. He did just that, taking an awkward moment to take them off, leaving the both of them with nothing but their undergarments to cover them. Tom rested a palm against Elizabeth’s left shoulder and gently pushed her back to the mattress. He followed suit and press a kiss just below his ear before something hit him like a ten ton truck. 

“Elizabeth, you have to tell me to stop,” He breathed into her ear, nudging the skin he’d just kissed with his nose, “I don’t have anything and if we carry on I’m not going to be able to stop myself.” 

Elizabeth rested her hands on his shoulders, “I’m on the pill,” She spoke quietly, “So if you’re clean, carry on, please.” 

Tom needed no other encouragement. He moved his hand behind her back and pulled her up slightly to his chest, running his tongue along her jaw as he undid the clasp on her bra. He pulled the delicate material away from her skin and abandoned it to the floor. Tom kissed Elizabeth’s lips and felt her arms move to cover the newly exposed skin. Oh no, this would not do. 

“Elizabeth,” He breathed against her lips, “Move your arms.” 

She obliged Tom’s request but did her best to drive his attention to her face, anywhere but the intimate area he was heading for. He fought against her hands and dragged his lips down her neck and over her collarbones. He gently took her hands in his and moved them so they would not hinder the pleasure he was trying to give her. He gently pressed a kiss to the top of her breast before he licked his tongue gently over her nipple. The gasp that came from her lips was one of the nicest sounds Tom had ever heard. He took the small pink bud into his mouth and swapped between sucking it gently and running his tongue over it. He swapped sides and continue like that until Elizabeth was pushing her hips up into his own, almost begging him to go further. 

Tom did just that, trailed down her body before pressing kisses to the skin just above the waistband of her knickers. In just a few seconds Tom had pulled them off and dropped them on the floor to join the rest of their clothes and was pressing kisses to Elizabeth’s inner thighs. The noises she made were intoxicating and Tom thought that he would happily lie in this bed for the rest of his life just to hear the sounds falling from her lips. He crawled back up her body, moving to lie on one side. He slipped his arm under her neck for support and began pressing kisses to her cheek and her ear as his long fingers dragged down her body to rest between her legs. 

Elizabeth almost died when Tom moved her legs so they were spread for him and then ran one finger gently through her wetness, dragging it from her entrance up to her clit where he rubbed gentle circles on the bud of nerves. 

“You like that?” He whispered into Elizabeth’s ear, she replied with a broken moan which he took for a yes I like that very much. 

Tom felt Elizabeth’s hand move from its place at her side to run over the front of his underwear. He quickly removed his hand from her clit and swatted hers away, “Not tonight my Elizabeth, tonight is about you, sweet girl.” 

With the mutual understand between them, Tom returned his fingers to circle her clit. Elizabeth could feel a tightening in her lower belly that she had not felt in years. She circled her fingers around Tom’s wrist, warning him not to stop. Which is of course exactly what he did. He dragged his fingers down and pushed two of them gently into her. He let out a keening sound as he moved them slowly in and out of her. If he had needed proof that Elizabeth had wanted him, he found it right here. She was wet and wanting for him like he hadn’t thought possible. 

Once Tom had reduced Elizabeth to a quivering mess, he removed his fingers from her and moved gently atop her once more. He dragged his underwear off, finally showing Elizabeth everything she had wanted. She admired the man in front of her, naked and unashamed of his body. Tom positioned himself, one hand pushed down into the mattress by her head, the other resting on Elizabeth’s hip. Elizabeth put her palms on Tom’s shoulders almost for moral support. 

“Look at me, please.” Tom spoke quietly, using the hand on her hip briefly to move her chin so her beautiful blue eyes were looking into her own. 

Elizabeth moved her hips up slightly and felt Tom’s erection press gently to her. With one swift move Tom had pushed himself into her, moaning at the fluttering of her muscles around him. He stilled as he listened to Elizabeth’s breath hitch in her throat. He was worried briefly that he had hurt her, but all doubts were pushed to the back of his mind when her hands moved from his shoulders to his ass. 

“You need to move Tom, please.” She begged, barely audible to him. 

He did just that. He pulled back out of her and then slowly thrust back into her. The moan that fell from her lips at the movement almost finished him off. 

“If you keep making sounds like that, Miss Elizabeth, I’m not going to last very long.” 

Elizabeth replied with making another sound just like him, taunting him as he set a slow and agonising rhythm for the pair. Tom moved Elizabeth’s hands from his ass, entwined his fingers in hers and placed their arms above her head. He fused their lips together and took advantage of the moan he drew from her lips when the new position allowed him to reach deeper inside of her, to join his tongue with her own. 

Before long, their bodies were covered in a thin layer of sweat and all that could be heard in the room was the odd moan from Elizabeth’s lips when Tom moved just right inside of her and Tom’s deep groans of approval when Elizabeth pushed her hips up into his own. 

“Tom, I need…” Elizabeth breathed into his ear, stopping to moan, “I need you to make me come.” 

“Tell me what I need to do Elizabeth.” Came his broken reply. 

“Your hand,” She said, letting go of their entwined fingers, “Touch me.” 

Tom obliged and within seconds his thumb was moving over the prominent bundle of nerves between her legs. Elizabeth let out a gasp at the added pleasure it gave her and moved her hands to Tom’s back, digging her nails into his skin when the tightening began in her belly. 

“Don’t stop, please don’t stop.” She begged, moving her lower body to try and push her clit further into Tom’s touch. 

“Go on Elizabeth,” Tom’s husky voice came at her ear, “Let go for me.” 

The voice was the only thing that had been missing for her. Within seconds of him finishing his demand, something snapped in her body and she was digging her nails into his back and calling his name into the skin of his shoulder. 

The feeling of Elizabeth’s orgasm set Tom on edge. He stilled as he rubbed her clit gently to ease her to the other side of her orgasm. Once she was breathing deeply he began moving within her once again. Her moans had turned into deep gasps in his ear, just for him to hear. 

“Elizabeth, where do you want me to come?” He asked, not wanting to make her uncomfortable by assuming she was fine with him finishing deep within her. 

“I don’t care,” Came her answer, “Just come for me Tom.” 

It took only a few more thrusts into her before the feeling of ecstasy overtook him. Elizabeth moaned quietly into his ear as he stilled within her. She felt him come inside her, listening to his deep moans as he filled her up, she decided she would never grow tired of that. 

Tom was carefully not to collapse on top of Elizabeth once he’d finished. He held himself up on his hands, with his face buried into her neck trying desperately to catch his breath. When he found himself to be somewhat calm, he slipped gently out of Elizabeth’s warmth and led on his back. In his mission of seeking his own release, he hadn’t noticed Elizabeth begin to cry. 

He pulled her immediately onto his chest and began running his hands through her beautiful red hair as she cried quietly into his sweat covered skin. 

“Are you okay?” He whispered gently into her hair after placing a kiss atop her head. 

“It’s just never felt like that with anyone,” She spoke quietly, moving her deliciously naked body to press against his own, “No-one has ever done that to me, made me feel so good.” 

Pride swelled quietly in Tom’s chest. He quickly quashed it, warning the primal side of his mind that Elizabeth wasn’t just some sexual conquest, that she was something to be treasured. 

“You deserve it.” Was Tom’s quiet reply. 

With a kiss to her lips he watched as she padded to her bathroom to clean herself up. In the few minutes she was gone, Tom had pulled back the covers on her bed and had made himself comfortable. Elizabeth walked quietly back to the bed and cuddled immediately into Tom’s side. She rested her head on his chest, wrapped an arm around his torso and tangled one of her legs with his own. 

They said nothing and Tom could tell that within a few moments Elizabeth was asleep. He shifted slightly, careful not to wake her. He was now in a much better position to watch the beauty sleeping. She was a picture of pure delight. Her face was emotionless, but at least it wasn’t pained. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders, pulling her deeper into his chest, as if to keep her safer. From what he didn’t know. His other arm went up under his head and within minutes Tom had joined Elizabeth in sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well there we go! Elizabeth and Tom have stepped over into the unknown! I want to apologise for how long this is! I did get a bit carried away but I couldn't find a place to cut it!  
> Once again, thank you for sticking with this! We're gearing up for the end now! Your kudos and comments mean the world! Let me know what you thought of this!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Shakespeare Nerd!Tom in this one!

Tom only stirred once during the night. Elizabeth had jumped slightly in her sleep which had startled him awake. He could barely make out the clock on the wall opposite the bed but was sure that it read just after 3am. He panicked slightly that neither of them had set an alarm but remembered that he didn’t need to be on set until the early afternoon. His natural body clock would make sure he was awake way before that, so he wrapped his arm tighter around Elizabeth’s shoulder and went back to sleep. 

When he woken next the room was beginning to fill with light. He groaned and rubbed his eyes before noticing the weight that had been resting on his shoulder all night was gone. He ran his fingers over the sheets that were crumpled from her sleep. Tom pushed himself up in the bed and found Elizabeth folded up in her chair reading a book. He looked briefly at the clock on the wall. 7:30. He most certainly didn’t want to be awake at this point, he most definitely didn’t want to be alone in this bed. 

“What are you doing?” He asked quietly, startling Elizabeth who was so engrossed in the book perched on her lap that she hadn’t noticed him wake. 

“Studying.” She said quietly, holding up the copy of Henry V that she was attempting to annotate for her exam. 

She watched as Tom moved the pillows up against the iron headboard of her bed and sat himself up. She allowed herself a few seconds to appreciate the toned chest that he was unashamedly (and rightly so) showing off. Her sheets rested high enough on his hips to keep most of his lower body covered, but showed enough to entice her back to her bed. She remained stuck in the chair though, knowing nothing would get done if she did as her head was telling her. 

“Was that Henry V?” Tom asked, rubbing at one of his eyes. 

“It was indeed,” Elizabeth spoke, “It’s the other Shakespeare work I need for my exam.” 

“You know, if you come back to bed, I could be persuaded to share my knowledge with you again.” Tom spoke quietly. 

Elizabeth blinked slowly at him and thought about refusing him, but number one, she was cold, and was sure that slipping into bed next to him would warm her up, and number two, he had proved himself invaluable helping her with Othello and she didn’t really understand this one either. So Elizabeth closed the book, picked up her pen and walked back to bed. 

Tom smiled at his small victory to get Elizabeth to come back to bed. She looked delightful as she walked back to her side of the bed. Her hair was tousled and fell down her back like a red waterfall. She had pulled on a peach coloured nightdress that looked to be made of silk. He had hoped that she would shed it before getting back into bed, but kept it on as she mimicked his position in the bed, sat up against the headboard. 

“If I tell you a secret, do you promise not to tell anyone?” Tom asked, holding his hand out for Elizabeth to give him the book. 

“I promise.” She replied quietly, handing the book to him before positioning herself so she was looking at him. 

“This is what we’re filming here.” 

Elizabeth’s eyes lit up as she looked at him, “Really?” 

“Well, at the moment we’re filming Henry IV but we will be doing this.” 

“That’s amazing,” Elizabeth smiled, “So you’re like, a pro on this then?” 

“Well, we’ll see, won’t we?” He chuckled, “What are we looking for with this one?” He asked, turning to motion Elizabeth closer to him. 

She scooted closer to him and smiled to herself as he wrapped his arm around her waist to pull her so she was planted firmly against his side. She was glad that he wanted her so close to him. When she had woken up this morning and found herself wrapped up naked next to him her heart had sent her into a panic and she’d bolted from the bed, dragged on a nightdress and was trying to calm her breathing in the bathroom. She had been so frightened that he would wake up and decide it had all been a mistake. That he, the handsome actor, could have anyone, no end of Hollywood starlets and pretty girls. She didn’t compare herself to any of those. His need for her to be close to him was reassuring, even if it was just for now. 

“War and patriotism.” Elizabeth replied, placing a small kiss to his shoulder as he flicked through the pages. 

Tom smiled as if he approved of the choice and began flicking through the pages, “Okay, this is a good place to starts, Henry V’s monologue that begins with ‘On, on, you noblest English’,” He took the pen from her hand and put a square around the whole verse, “He’s rousing his troops with all this patriotic language to fight against the French, they’re going out there for his families honour.” 

Elizabeth took the pen from his hand and wrote that next to his box before letting him continue. 

“And here at the end, when he says ‘Cry God for Harry, England and St George’, it doesn’t get much more patriotic than that.” He chuckled, “And this one here,” He flicked through the book coming to the exact page he needed, making Elizabeth wonder how many times he’d read this text, “ ‘We few, we happy few, we band of brothers’, He’s trying to tell his troops that it’s an honour to serve their king by fighting by his side.” 

Elizabeth listened as Tom pointed out more of what she needed for her exam, pausing for her to write her notes down. Within forty-five minutes she had enough for her exam and then some. She took the book from his hands and put it on her bedside table along with the pen she had been using to make notes. 

“So, how many times have you actually read that?” She asked, “You seem to know it like the back of your hand.” 

“I’m a bit of a self-confessed Shakespeare nerd,” Tom sighed, “I was Cassio in Othello when I was a young actor and I guess it all just stuck, and of course I know this one like the back of my hand because I’ve got to act it.” 

Elizabeth looked briefly to the clock on the wall, “I really need to get a move on,” She sighed, wanting nothing more than to stay wrapped up against Tom, “I really don’t want my mum breaking down the door to this.” She motioned to Tom’s still naked form in her bed. 

“Yes, this definitely counts as fraternizing with the guests, doesn’t it?” 

Elizabeth pressed a kiss to his neck as she giggled at his words, “She’ll have me up against the wall and shot if she finds out.” She sighed, knowing that outside of this room, whatever the two of them had, would have to be a secret. 

“We can’t have that.” Tom whispered quietly, pressing his lips gently to hers. 

Tom reluctantly allowed Elizabeth to leave to shower and dress. When she returned, clean and ready for her day in a dark purple skirt and white vest top, he too was dressed in his clothes from the night previous. 

“Can I see you later?” Tom asked, pulling Elizabeth close to him, her heart fluttered in her chest at his words. 

“We’ll have to be sneaky,” She whispered, leaning up to kiss him, “But I should think it’s manageable.” 

*

“Elizabeth, can I ask you something?” Elizabeth’s mother said after lunch as she was milling around with the bookings they had for once the cast and crew had left. Oh god. She knew. 

“You just did,” Elizabeth replied, trying to joke with her mother, who was giving her a stern look. Yep. She definitely knew. “Sorry, yes, go ahead.” 

“Can you run down to Sam and get his shopping list please? I would do it but I’ve got someone who’s meant to be calling and I don’t want to miss it.” 

Her mother didn’t even give her the opportunity to reply before she went back to her office. Yep. She knew. Elizabeth wasn’t sure how. Her mother’s room was on the ground floor so even if she had been too loud, it wouldn’t have been her mother that had heard her. She hadn’t seen any marks on her skin when she was getting ready and she wasn’t sure that Tom hadn’t actually bitten her anyway. Her cheeks flushed as she thought back to their dalliance the previous evening. She shook her head of the memory and tried to calm down the blush on her cheeks as she pushed open the kitchen door. 

Most of the kitchen staff, Sam included, we’re cleaning up from the breakfast service and getting ready to start on the small lunch service they provided each day. Most of the crew would already be on set, but the actors would have enough time to grab lunch at the hotel that day. 

“Mum wants the shopping list,” Elizabeth spoke once she was face to face with Sam, who had his hands deep in a sink of water, “Tell me where it is and you can carry on scrubbing at your dishes.” 

“It should be over by the fridge,” He motioned with his head, watching as Elizabeth located the list and walked back to him as she perused the items on it, “How was dinner with lover boy?” He asked. 

“It was fine.” Elizabeth replied after blinking at Sam’s question for a few moments. 

“Only fine?” 

“Well it was all going swimmingly until he kissed me when we got back here,” She eyes Sam’s facial expression which was one of slight anger, “It was nothing like that,” Elizabeth insisted, “I just freaked out over it because of what happened before. Everything is fine now.” 

Sam’s face softened as he gave Elizabeth a smile, “I’m glad,” He spoke, “And will there be a second date?” He asked. 

“I don’t know if date is the right way to put it,” She said, “But we’re going to spend time together, yes.”

She watched as Sam drained the water from the sink and wiped his hands dry on a towel before pulling her into a hug, “I’m proud of you kiddo.” Was all he said until he let her go from the embrace. 

Elizabeth quickly rubbed at her eyes to stop the tears that had formed at Sam’s words from falling down her cheeks. 

“I actually have a favour to ask you,” Sam spoke, “Your mother and I are going out tonight, there’s a night exhibition at the museum in town that she’s keen to see and considering I can’t remember the last time she actually left this place I thought I’d take her,” Elizabeth was about to protest, she had promised Tom she would see him this evening, “I just need you to watch the desk for a few hours whilst I take her.” 

For a few brief seconds Elizabeth did consider saying no, making up an excuse of being snowed under with studying, or not feeling well. But then the voice of reason in Elizabeth’s head piped up and told her to stop being so selfish. She couldn’t remember the last time her mother had spent real time outside of the hotel that didn’t involve picking things up or thinking about what work still needed doing. 

“No problem,” Elizabeth replied, forcing a smile along her lips, “I’ll run this up now, I hope you both have fun.” 

Once Elizabeth had dropped off the shopping list to her mother and wished her a good evening, she milled about in her room until 8pm. Her mother and Sam were wandering out of the front door when she took up behind the desk, phone and copy of A Handmaid’s Tale in hand. She waved them out, trying to stem the annoyance that she couldn’t spend her time with Tom that evening. 

She could hear chatter from the dining room, which meant that the cast and crew must have been back. She briefly contemplated going in to make herself a cup of tea to see if Tom was there, but deciding against it. If he wanted her, he could message her. So Elizabeth wandered into the small office and clicked on the computer. For the next hour she typed away answered to email enquiries and managed to book two rooms for a summer holiday a few months away. She was drawn from her concentration when her phone buzzed on the desk next to the unopened book. 

**I’ve been knocking on your door for five minutes. Either you don’t want to see me, or you aren’t in. x**

She giggled a little before firing back a reply. 

**Unfortunately I’m on night manager duty, stuck behind the desk. xx**

Elizabeth didn’t get a reply and was thankful for the chime of the bell that signalled that someone needed her at the front desk. She was met with Tom stood in front of the desk, running a hand through his hair. 

“Can I help you, Sir?” She asked, a smile along her lips. 

“I certainly hope so, you see I’m rather bored, and I’ve spent the whole day thinking about this beautiful girl, with bright red hair and lovely blue eyes, and I just wanted to know if she wanted to give me a kiss?” 

“Maybe if you come through to the office, you can ask her yourself?” 

Elizabeth turned on her heel and walked back into the office, pleased to hear the patter of feet behind her. She was leaning against the desk when Tom walked into the office. He touched his hands to her hips as he stopped in front of her. 

“So, does she want to kiss me?” He asked quietly. 

“I don’t think she would be averse to it, no.” She smiled, leaning her face up so Tom could capture her lips with his. 

Elizabeth sighed into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck. She had never been so glad to kiss anyone in her life. Reluctantly, Tom pulled away from her, but rested his forehead to hers. 

“I don’t suppose you’re helping the British government bring down an arms dealer are you?” He asked. 

Elizabeth giggled and pulled away slightly from Tom. Of course the man would speak to her in book metaphors. 

“Unfortunately not,” She replied, “My life would be considerably more interesting if I was running around a rich man’s villa like Jonathan Pine though.” 

“I am so glad you got my reference.” He laughed, pulling away completely from Elizabeth to plonk himself down on a chair. 

Elizabeth sat on the other chair in the office but Tom decided that she was too far from him, he needed to touch some part of her. He caught her eye and motioned for her to put her feet on his lap. She complied and smiled as Tom’s fingers started tracing light patterns on the tops of her feet. 

“Of course I got the reference,” Elizabeth spoke, “Have you seen my bookshelf?” 

“Touché,” Tom nodded, “So, to what reason do we owe the pleasure of being night managers this evening?” 

“There’s an exhibition in town that my mum wanted to see, so Sam has taken her,” Elizabeth explained, “I can’t remember the last time she left the hotel to do something that didn’t revolve around this place.” 

“How much trouble will I be in if she comes back and finds me here?” He asked. 

“You won’t be in any trouble,” Elizabeth chuckled, “She’ll probably have me shot up against the wall though, she wasn’t in the best mood when I saw her earlier, so she’s probably not got much patience right now.” 

Tom quickly shook the images of him pressing Elizabeth up against a wall with their mouths attached. If he wasn’t careful her mother could walk in on something much more than him just sitting in her office rubbing the skin on Elizabeth’s feet. 

“To avoid you being shot, how about I go upstairs and wait for you there?” Tom offered, not wanting to get Elizabeth into trouble.

“I think it would probably be for the best,” Elizabeth replied, checking her watch, “They shouldn’t be too much longer anyway. My room is open if you want to wait in there.” 

Before Tom could extradite himself from the office and slip up to Elizabeth’s room, the pair were interrupted by a voice calling from the lobby. 

“Elizabeth, are you in the office?” Tom watched as Elizabeth paled at least three shades. Her mother was back. 

“Oh my god,” She whispered, going into full on panic mode. She bolted from her seated position and tried to think of something she could tell her mother in excuse for Tom being in the office, “I’m in here mum!” She called, as she began rooting through the drawers in the office. 

Tom had followed Elizabeth’s movements and stood, waiting for her to tell him what he needed to do. As Elizabeth’s mother rounding into the office, Elizabeth thrust a pair of scissors into Tom’s hand and flashed a helpless look in his direction. 

“Oh, hello,” Was Elizabeth’s mother’s reaction to seeing Tom standing in the office, “Is everything okay?” She asked. 

“Yes thank you Ma’am,” Tom flashed her a smile, “I just needed a pair of scissors and Elizabeth was helping me to find a pair,” He lifted the scissors from his side to show them off, “I’ll head off now, thanks Elizabeth.” 

It killed Tom to walk away from the obvious telling off Elizabeth was going to get. He wanted to stay a defend her. From what he wasn’t sure, but he wanted nothing more than to envelop her in his arms and protect her against the words her mother would have with her. Tom begrudgingly walked up the stairs away from the scene unfolding below him, just wishing it wouldn’t sour Elizabeth’s mood too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I'm starting to sound like a broken record here, but thank you once again for your continued readership and kudos! Let me know what you're thinking!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Have some soppy shit, because I don't feel we've had enough of that lately :P

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for smut in this chapter!

“Whatever that is, it has to stop.” 

Elizabeth was taken back by her mother’s harsh tone. She’d never been spoken to by her in such a way and it frightened her. Elizabeth lived to make her mother happy but this was as far from it that she had ever seen. Part of Elizabeth wanted to walk away and admit defeat on this one, but then another part of her remembered the man that had walked up the stairs and she realised she wouldn’t let this one go. She just wouldn’t let on to her mother the real reason for her fondness of Tom.

“Stop what?” She asked, trying to be careful of her tone, she didn’t want to anger her mother any more than she already was, “Helping the guests?” 

“You must think I came down in the last shower Elizabeth Allard,” Her mother shook her head, shrugging off her coat, “I don’t care what is going on between you and him, but whatever it is, it needs to stop. I told you, we provide a service here, a professional one, and your dalliance with that actor certainly isn’t that.” 

“For goodness sake mother, I was helping him find a pair of scissors!” Elizabeth exclaimed, “What did you want me to do? ‘Oh sorry Tom, I can’t help you because my mum thinks that giving you a pair of scissors is unprofessional’.” 

“Don’t take that tone with me, young lady.” Her mother warned, keeping her back turned to her daughter. Elizabeth was about to reply when her mother spoke once again, “Maybe you should go upstairs.” 

Elizabeth stood dumbfounded in the office as she watched her mother leave. She stood for a few seconds, her mouth wide at being dismissed, before picking up her book and her phone. She stormed passed her mother who was stood behind the desk in the lobby and all but ran up the stairs. By the time Elizabeth had reached the top of the stairs she was seething. She bypassed Tom’s room, hoping that he was inside it, that he hadn’t taken her advice and gone to hers. She slammed the door to her room and pressed her back up against it, happy that the room was pitch black, meaning Tom wasn’t there. 

Elizabeth took a few seconds to collect her thoughts and take some deep breaths. What was her mother trying to prove? Of course, her relationship with Tom had far exceeding anything her mother was aware of, but Elizabeth realised for the first time since he had gone, she was happy. Or at least she thought she was. She moved silently from the door and turned on the string of fairy lights around her headboard and the small reading lamp on the bedside table and curled herself into the chair. She let her thoughts gather in her head. Maybe she’s right. Perhaps it was best to keep her distance from Tom, even if it was just until he left the hotel. Maybe they could pick up once he left. Then the memories of his lips on her skin and his hands between her legs flooded to her mind and she realised she wouldn’t be able to keep her hands off of him. 

A gentle knock at her door pulled her from her thoughts. She hadn’t realised that angry tears had started falling down her cheeks. She furiously wiped at them before answering the door. Tom stood in front of her, looking incredibly apologetic. Elizabeth silently moved to let him walk into her room. She closed the door quietly and as she turned she was enveloped into his arms, her face pressed into his chest. She wrapped her arms around his middle and took a deep breath of his scent. 

“How much trouble are we in?” He asked quietly, running a hand through her hair. 

“Well, she doesn’t know you spent the night in my bed, so judging by her reaction to the scissors, we could be in for some shit.” 

Elizabeth extradited herself from Tom’s arms and stalked back to curl into her chair. Tom watched her intently, realising just how much the whole situation was affected the beautiful girl in front of him. 

“What can I do to make it better?” He asked quietly. 

Elizabeth looked at him and thought for a moment, “I really don’t know,” Was her honest answer, “If we continue she’ll hate me, if she finds out I’ve so much as touched you, let alone slept with you, she’ll never forgive me, but I don’t think I can stay away from you.” 

“I don’t think I can stay away from you either.” Tom replied without thinking. It was a simple sentence, but it was exactly what Elizabeth needed to hear. “Are you happy?” 

Elizabeth nodded, “For the first time since I can remember.” 

“Then who cares what she says?” Tom dropped to his knees in front of Elizabeth curled in her chair, “I understand that she is your mother and she has rules, but Elizabeth no-one has made me feel the way you do,” He shook his head before placing a hand lightly on Elizabeth’s knee, “I know I’ve only known you for a relatively short amount of time, but Elizabeth, I feel like I’ve known you my whole life, and I’d be more than happy to learn everything there is to know about you,” Elizabeth met his eyes as he spoke, “I want to learn your quirks, what annoys you, what your favourite flower is, what your favourite time of year is, whether you’re a morning or evening person,” He took a deep breath, “But most of all I want to be the person that keeps you safe and makes you happy, because that’s the least you deserve Elizabeth.” 

Elizabeth reached her hand out and let her palm rest against Tom’s cheek as she smiled, trying to blink away the tears in her eyes. She pushed herself to be sitting on the edge of the chair and placed her other hand in a similar position its partner on Tom’s other cheek before bringing her lips to his softly. Almost immediately Tom had pushed forward into her lips, moving so he was once again towering over her, even from his knees. He kept his hands on her knees as he tilted his head and opened his mouth against hers. Elizabeth followed suit and soon Tom had her leaned back in the chair, her arms wrapped around his neck as their tongues worked together. 

He reluctantly pulled away from her lips and rested his forehead against hers. Elizabeth was breathing heavily underneath him with her eyes closed. One of his hands was holding gently around her neck, the other was placed just under the curve of her breast. She looked like a picture of pure beauty, eyes closed, breath heavy. He couldn’t think of a time when a woman had looked lovelier to him. He trailed his lips from hers to her neck and lavished open mouth kisses over the sensitive skin, causing Elizabeth to arch her back and let out a quiet moan. 

“Will you let me make you feel good?” Tom whispered into her ear, running his tongue over her small tattoo. 

“I shall die if you don’t.” Was her simple reply. 

Tom pulled back from Elizabeth and gently used his hands to push her back into the chair. She scooted back just a little and took one of her ankles in his hand. He slowly trailed kisses up her leg, stopping just before her knee to swap sides. Elizabeth’s breath hitched in her throat as she watched Tom work up her leg gently with his lips. If this was going where she imagined it was, she would be putty in his hands. 

When Tom had made his way up her other leg, he let his hands wander up to the waistband of the skirt she was wearing. She lifted her hips up to let him drag it down her hips. The material was forgotten to her as soon as Tom’s lips made contact with the skin of her inner thigh. Tom wasted no time in hooking Elizabeth’s leg’s over his shoulders. His hands held her hips in place as he dragged his lips and tongue over each of Elizabeth’s inner thighs, stopping every now and then to take little bits of her sensitive skin between his teeth to gently nip at her. Elizabeth found she quite liked it when he bit her and before long she was trying to move her hips against his big hands holding her still. She needed more. 

Tom was never a man to disappoint a lady, especially not one as exquisite as Elizabeth, so he hooked his fingers into the waistband of her knickers, pretty pale pink lace was dragged down her legs and thrown with her skirt and forgotten. Tom smiled up at Elizabeth as he moved her legs back to being draped over his shoulder. Elizabeth held her breath as Tom gently used his hands to spread her open to him. He placed one kiss to her inner thigh which made Elizabeth keen in anticipation for what that mouth would feel like on her. She didn’t have to wait long. 

Tom licked her from her entrance all the way up to her clit, where he swirled the tip of his tongue for just a few seconds before pulling away completely. Elizabeth didn’t think she’d ever felt that good. There was something about the way his tongue felt against her. She was done for. Tom smirked up at her as he moved his tongue back to her clit. Within a few minutes he’d figured out that Elizabeth responded best when the tip of his tongue circled her clit as opposed to running it up and down. The noise she made when Tom closed hips lips around her clit and sucked ever so gently whilst running his tongue over her clit rewarded him with the sexiest sound he’d ever heard. She all but disintegrated in his hands when he moved one palm from her hips to slip a finger into her wet pussy. 

“Oh god Tom,” She breathed, head thrown back from the pleasure he was causing between her, “I can’t…” She moved a hand to his curls, pulling his head up, “I can’t hold on for much longer.” 

Tom grinned up at her, pressing a kiss to her pubic bone, “I think that’s the point, Miss Elizabeth,” He chuckled, “Now, lean back, and keep your eyes on mine, I want to watch you when you come.” 

With that, he went straight back to slipping his fingers in and out of her and circling her clit with his tongue. The combination of Tom’s voice, his dark lust-filled eyes and whatever it was that his tongue was doing between her legs meant that Elizabeth lasted only a minute more before she was arching up into his face, clenching around his fingers and breathing out his name. Once he was sure she’d been ridden through her orgasm, Tom pulled his fingers from her and kissed his way up her torso, stripping her of her vest top. Elizabeth gladly accepted his lips on hers, wrapping her naked lower body around his fully clothed one. 

Within moments the pair were once again back under the covers of Elizabeth’s bed, naked and pressed to one another, Tom pulling more delectable sounds from her lips, Elizabeth causing Tom to bury his head in her neck and whisper sweet nothings to her as her inner muscles fluttered around him. It was in that moment, with Elizabeth’s arms wrapped around his shoulders and Tom’s hand squeezing the curve above her hip, that both of them knew that this, whatever this was, was more than just a dalliance. 

Later that night as Elizabeth rested her head in the crook of Tom’s neck and shoulder and ran her hand over the smooth skin of his chest, she spoke very quietly, “Sweet peas.” 

“Hmmmm?” Tom murmured, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, the other hand coming to intertwine with the one that was running soft patterns over his skin. 

“Sweet peas,” She repeated, snuggling closer to his sex-warmed body under her sheets, “They’re my favourite flower.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this! Let me know what you guys thought!   
> Just a heads up - next week's update won't be going up until Saturday, as I'm going away to celebrate my graduation from university! It'll be worth waiting for though, I promise! (Or I hope it is!)   
> Once again, thank you for your continued readership, kudos and comments!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bliss couldn't last, could it?

Elizabeth and Tom had spent the past three days living in a state of hidden bliss. To anyone in the hotel, they were just guest and staff. The filming schedule had meant that Tom rarely spent much time in the hotel other than to sleep and eat breakfast. Of course, in those small hours of the nights, what no-one knew is that he spent them wrapped up in Elizabeth – and her sheets – after hours of talking and making love. 

Elizabeth and her mother and fallen into a tense sense of normality since she had stormed out after the scissor escapade, but were able to talk civilly to one another. Elizabeth’s mother was near sympathetic to Elizabeth. She knew she was a young woman and Tom, from what she had deduced was a rather good looking young man. It was only normal that Elizabeth felt drawn to him. That didn’t mean she could bend her rules. The pair had a business to think about, one that they couldn’t afford to hinder by getting cosy with the guests. She was glad that her firmness a few nights ago had seemingly dragged her daughter away from Tom, even if it had put a slight strain on their relationship. Once the group were gone in a few weeks, she knew things would settle down and go back to normal. 

The day was pretty miserable. It had been raining constantly since she had woken up that morning. Her mother had been stowed away in her office trying to iron out some problems she was having with booking the next filming company in. They’d been double booked with a group coming down from Scotland for a week. She had to try and appease the family and from how long it was taking her, Elizabeth was assuming it wasn’t going well. 

On any other day, Elizabeth would have diligently stayed behind the desk with a book. However, she was feeling rather restless, so she left her mother a note telling her she was going down to the kitchen to check all was well with Sam, who she hadn’t seen since the night he had taken her mother out. 

“Hello kiddo!” Sam smiled as Elizabeth strolled into the kitchen, “How have you been?” 

Elizabeth perched herself against a side as she watched Sam working. He had just started preparation for dinner, “Alright I suppose,” She spoke, “It’s been a very boring day up there with mum holed away in her office.” 

Sam eyed her, “She said the other day that you’d argued.” 

“I wouldn’t say argued,” Elizabeth replied, “Maybe disagreed. I was lending some scissors to the guy that took me to dinner and she flew off the proverbial handle at me about professional boundaries.” 

Sam smirked at the young girl in front of him, ceasing his incessant chopping of herbs for the pasta he was making for dinner that evening, “Judging by that large mark on your neck, you needed reminding.” 

Elizabeth’s hand immediately shot to her neck. She hadn’t noticed any marks on her skin when she had got ready that morning. Then she remembered that before Tom had left for set he had buried his head in the crook of her neck and worried a small area of skin with his teeth. That fucker. 

“Elizabeth, I’m not one to judge, frankly, I’m happy that you’ve found someone to trust enough after what happened last time. I’m sure he’s a wonderful lad. But you have to understand that your mother is worried for you. The last time you were with a man she found you bleeding and unconscious on the floor being beaten.” 

“I get that Sam, I do,” Elizabeth sighed, running a hand over her face, “But am I supposed to be alone for the rest of my life?” 

“That’s not what I’m saying Elizabeth and it’s not what she means either. She’s just scared for you.” 

“She doesn’t know how deep I’m into things with Tom,” Elizabeth spoke quietly, “She doesn’t know anything, she thinks her little chat the other night turned me away from him, but Sam it’s pulled me closer to him. She won’t understand. Can you promise not to say anything?” Elizabeth was basically pleading. All she wanted was to keep Tom and Herself in a little cocoon, just until he left. 

“I promise Elizabeth,” Sam smiled, “Just be careful, okay?” 

Elizabeth nodded in reply and spent another hour with Sam in the kitchen before looking at her watch. The cast a crew would be due back within the hour and Elizabeth was sure he mother would need some form of refreshment after what she could only assume would have been a rather stressful afternoon. She took a steaming cup of coffee upstairs and knocked twice on the office door. 

Elizabeth walked in once her mother had called that she was free. She set the mug down next to her and pressed a soft kiss to her temple. 

“I’ll be out front if you need me.” She said softly, leaving her mother to go and sort out the mess that was the front desk. 

Once all the papers had been stored away and pens returned to pots Elizabeth felt a hand run down her arm. She turned to find her mother stood next to her. 

“You look shattered,” She commented, “Have you been sleeping okay?” 

Elizabeth tried to quell the blush that threatened to fall across her cheeks. She had been sleeping just fine, but only once Tom had deemed her sated enough to take her into his arms and fall asleep right next to her. 

“Yes, I’ve been sleeping fine.” She replied. 

Elizabeth’s mother’s hand moved some of her hair from her face and she began leaning in to kiss her on the cheek when she stopped abruptly. 

“What on earth is that?” She asked in a low tone, the one she had taken with Elizabeth when she had been much younger and had been causing trouble. 

“What is what?” Elizabeth asked, in a tone note dissimilar to the one she would have taken if she were ten being on the receiving end of the tone. 

“That mark on your neck,” She spoke, “Actually, don’t even bother telling me, because I’m pretty sure I can guess exactly what it is and who it came from.” 

“Mum please, I can explain.” Elizabeth pleaded, moving away from her mother from fear of repercussions. 

“No Elizabeth, you can explain all you want, but it doesn’t change the fact that you have defied me and my orders to stay away from our guests. Whatever that is on your neck isn’t professional and it isn’t okay.” 

Elizabeth thought for a brief moment of agreeing with her mother. Then she realised that actually, she couldn’t bring herself to give Tom up. She’d spent too long living in fear of what men could do to her. She’d completely opened herself up to Tom. She wasn’t about to throw away one of the best things in her life. She had to make her mother see her point of view. 

“Why are you so determined for me to be unhappy?” Elizabeth asked. 

“I’m not Elizabeth, I’m determined to keep the reputation of this hotel together when you are so set to destroy it.” 

“Yes you are mum, that’s exactly what is going to happen if you don’t let me carry on.” 

“I’m sure you can find someone else. Someone that isn’t going to ruin us.” 

“This isn’t going to ruin us mum,” Elizabeth exclaimed, “And finding someone else isn’t the point anymore! I’ve spent years being scared to open myself up after what happened, scared that every man I might come into contact with might hurt me like he did. I’ve finally found someone I trust. Does that mean nothing to you?!” 

“Elizabeth, I am not having this conversation with you. You go and tell him that whatever is going on between you has to end,” Elizabeth’s mother spoke, “You’ve known each other for a few weeks, I’m sure you’ll both recover.” 

“No.” Elizabeth said simply. 

“Excuse me?” Elizabeth’s mother replied, incredulously. 

“I said no,” Elizabeth replied, “I am not going to throw away the best thing to happen to me in years because you say so,” She tried to remain calm, “I don’t care how long I’ve known him, I care for him and I know he cares for me, and he’s going to help me get better, help me get over all my fears and doubts put in my mind those years ago, does that mean nothing to you?” 

“And does what we could lose here as a result of your actions mean nothing to you?!” The women were raising their voices at each other, “We have built this place from the ground up, ever since your father left we have put our lives into this hotel, or have you forgotten how hard it was for me when he left? This place is all I have Elizabeth, and I’ll be damned if I let some short dalliance ruin it for me!” 

“How could I forget how hard it was for you?!” Elizabeth all but screamed, “For years I thought I was the reason he left, it must have been something I did that made him stop loving me, then I had to push through your depression, thinking that was my fault too, then I got abused by my boyfriend and obviously that was my fault too, wasn’t it?!” Elizabeth felt furious tears fall from her eyes, she quickly rubbed them away, “For once in my life, I feel like I finally have my shot at being happy and I will not let that go.” 

Elizabeth noted the look of complete and utter disbelief on her mother’s face after her outburst and for a moment she wanted to stay and see what else she would say but instead chose to turn on her heel and walk away from her. She was livid and didn’t want to be around anyone at that point in time. 

*

In the hours since their argument, Elizabeth’s mother had spent most of her time sat in the office trying to distract herself from what had happened. She was worried about what Elizabeth’s relationship with Tom would mean for both them and their livelihood. Over the short amount of time that the company had been in residence at the hotel, she had seen Elizabeth change. She’d gone from the meek girl she had turned into after all that life had thrown at the pair, to someone who was willing to stand up to her mother. 

That didn’t change her anger, however. Elizabeth had deliberately gone behind her back and done something she had asked her not to. She had overstepped the boundaries of professionalism which was the main reason film crews used their hotel. The privacy and professionalism the pair had always offered had become their tagline, so to speak, and Elizabeth’s mother just could not condone this. 

When Elizabeth didn’t turn up for dinner, her mother began to worry. For a few brief minutes she thought maybe she’d be with Tom, but he turned up in the dining room alone and sat with the usual suspects on his table. When everyone had finished their food and her staff began the clean-up from dinner, Elizabeth’s mother made her way to Elizabeth’s room. 

Once outside her door, she knocked a few times before waiting. There was no reply, so she knocked again. She repeated this action a few more times before panic took over. She turned the door handle and was thankful that Elizabeth hadn’t locked it. 

If her mother was hoping to find her in her room, she would turn out to be disappointed, because there was no sign of her. The bed was made perfectly and nothing seemed out of place. She wasn’t in the bathroom and she wasn’t on the balcony either. Her mother was running out of places her daughter could be. A quick call down to the kitchen when she had finished checking upstairs determined she wasn’t down with Sam and she couldn’t see her from the doors to the grounds. She had only one other option. 

In a rush, she opened the guestbook behind the reception desk and quickly dialled the only other person she thought could help her locate her daughter. Tom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for being so patient with me. I hope you all don't hate me for this! Thank you once again for all our support! Your comments and kudos keep me motivated to write Elizabeth and Tom's story!


	11. Chapter 11

The sound of the phone in his room ringing startled Tom as he getting ready to shower and turn in for the night. Elizabeth hadn’t replied to his messages so he assumed she was either busy or didn’t want to see him. He debated ignoring the ringing but decided it must have been important, so he picked it up anyway. 

“Hello?” 

“Tom, this is Darcey, is Elizabeth with you?” The voice was near frantic on the other side of the phone. 

“She’s not,” Tom replied, “Why would she be with me?” 

“You can drop the act Tom, I know what you’ve been doing together,” Her tone had a hint of malice behind it, “But right now, I can’t find her, we argued and she ran off and she’s not in her room and I can’t see her outside.” 

“Well she’s not with me, I haven’t seen her since I came back.” Tom replied, leaning over to check his phone just in case she’d messaged him which she hadn’t. 

“I’m the last person she’s going to want to see or talk to,” Darcey spoke down the phone, “Otherwise I’d be out searching for her, I know it’s a lot to ask, but you couldn’t try and find her could you?” 

For some reason, Tom’s first instinct was to laugh. Surely Elizabeth couldn’t have just disappeared. Surely she was just sat in her room working off the argument with her mother like she had done with their own argument. But there was something in her mother’s tone that pointed to the fact that this was more serious than Tom realised. 

“When was the last time you saw her?” He asked, unlocking his phone to compose a text to Elizabeth. 

“It was a few hours ago,” She replied, “Four, maybe five hours?” Her tone was unsure, “I thought she might have just been upstairs but I don’t know, she could be anywhere by now.” 

“Listen, just calm down,” Tom spoke gently down the phone, “I’ll find her, even if it take all night.” 

Darcey gushed her thanks down the phone to Tom who barely heard them. His mind was racing. Her mother was right, Elizabeth could be anywhere by now. If she wasn’t in her room and her mother had checked all possibilities of the hotel that must mean she was out wandering through the hotel grounds. 

The thought sent Tom into a frenzy. It was already dark and from what he could hear outside it was raining and blowing a gale. He sent Elizabeth the text message he had written whilst on the phone to her mother and then pulled on his shoes and coat. On his way down the stairs he sent another three messages in succession to Elizabeth, hoping for a reply. 

He decided that the best course of action would be to walk to trail around the hotel grounds. He’d done it before when he’d first arrived. It would take him a while but hopefully he would find Elizabeth or she would reply to his messages. That was, if she even had her phone. 

Standing on the porch in the heavy downpour of rain, Tom decided to take a gamble. He plucked his phone from his pocket and dialled Elizabeth’s number. It started ringing, which was a good sign, it meant that wherever she was, if she had her phone, it had signal and battery life. He was about to give in and hang up when the ringing ceased in his ear and he could hear shuffling on the end of the phone. He couldn’t believe his luck. 

“Elizabeth?” He spoke, “Elizabeth?!” He raised his voice in hope she could hear him over the wind, “Is that you?” 

“Tom?” Was the reply that came. She was quiet. 

“Elizabeth it’s me, where are you?” His voice was raised and frantic. He needed to find her.

“I don’t know,” Elizabeth replied, “I’m cold, and it’s dark and I can’t figure out where I am.” 

“I know you’re cold lovely, if you tell me where you are I can come and find you, okay?” 

“I can’t see where I am Tom,” Came her feeble reply, “I’ve been walking for hours around the trail until it got dark and now I don’t know where I am.” 

“You’re on the trail right?” Tom asked down the phone, “Which is exactly where I am, so wherever you are, I can’t be far from you. Do you remember the direction you were walking in?” 

“Vaguely, I think so, I’m sitting against a tree.” 

“Okay then listen to me Elizabeth, I’m going to start walking the trail, and you’re going to come back the way you were walking and with any luck we’ll meet each other okay?” 

“Okay, yes, alright, I’ll try.” Tom could hear shuffling on the other end of the phone which must have meant she was getting up to walk. 

“I’m going to hang up the phone so I could use the torch on it, okay?” He asked, “But if you need me you call me okay?” 

Elizabeth agreed and hung up the phone. Tom started walking on the trail around the hotel grounds but decided that walking wasn’t enough. He picked up his pace and began running, using the torch on his phone to avoid any chance of falling over a tree root like he had done the last time he’d run through these grounds. 

Tom ran for what felt like an age. He’d forgotten just how large the ground were. In reality, he spent 10 minutes pelting through the rain to come face to face with Elizabeth. The sense of relief he felt when she loomed into the light being provided by his phone was huge. He immediately pulled her into a hug before shedding his coat to wrap around her shoulders. 

She looked a state. The rain had caused her hair to fall in damp waves around her face. Her mascara and eyeliner was smudged under her eyes and she was shaking and shivering like he hadn’t seen before. Instead of making her walk, which probably would have taken the pair all night, he swooped Elizabeth into his arms and began a jog back down the trail to the hotel. 

By the time he got Elizabeth to the porch of the hotel, he was soaked through just like she was. She was still shivering even with the addition of his coat, so he carried her wordlessly through the dining room and reception area. Her mother, who was sitting behind the reception desk, stood at the site of her daughter being carried through. She stood and went to walk over to the pair but Tom shot her a look that suggested that she should wait exactly where she was and let him sort this out. 

He carried her into her room and placed her down in her armchair. He left her for a few seconds to start running a bath but was back by her side in no time at all. He silently began taking each layer of her soaking clothes off until she was down to just her underwear. 

“I need you to stand up for me Elizabeth,” Tom spoke softly, “There’s a warm bath for you to get into which will make you feel a lot better, I promise.” 

Elizabeth took hold of Tom’s outstretched hands and let him lead her to the bath that he’d run. He settled her into the water before leaving her room briefly to change into dry clothes, hoping he wouldn’t get sick, before returning in mere minutes to her side. 

Tom reached out for the hair products on the corner of the bath and made quick work of lathering Elizabeth’s shampoo into her hair. He remained silent whilst washing her hair, only talking to her when he start slowly and gently washing her skin. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked quietly, putting a generous amount of soap onto the sponge before massaging it into her shoulders. 

“Do I have a choice?” She asked quietly, refusing to look at him, instead opting to stare at a point on the shower wall in front of her. 

“Of course you do,” Tom replied, “I just want to help and I can’t do that if you don’t tell me what caused you to end up wandering around in the dark and cold like Cathy in Wuthering Heights.” 

The mention of one of her beloved books earned Tom a small smile, but Elizabeth remained quiet while he continued soaping her shoulders and arms. 

“She told me I needed to stop seeing you.” Elizabeth spoke as Tom put more soap on the sponge and motioned for her to lift one of her legs onto the side of the bath so he could wash it.

“Your mum?” He asked. 

“She was angry that I’d purposely done what she asked me not to,” Elizabeth said, still very quiet, “She noticed the mark you left on my neck this morning and flew into a rage at my professionalism. So I refused to do what she wanted.” 

“And what did she want?” Tom asked, repeating his motions on the other leg. 

“She wanted me to end things with you.” 

Tom stopped washing Elizabeth’s skin and looked at her. She looked impossibly sad. More sad than she had done recounting her experiences with her father and ex-boyfriend. His mind immediately thought the worst. 

“And what did you say?” Tom spoke, putting the sponge down in the water, resting back on his knees. 

“I told her no,” Elizabeth replied, “I realised that you are the best thing that’s ever happened to me Tom, that we’re no-where near perfect and I still have some real issues, but for the first time in a long time, I feel happy. I’m not going to let that go. Not on her word.” Elizabeth reached a wet arm and hand from the bathwater and ran her fingers along the side of Tom’s face. 

He put his own over the top of her and leaned it, kissing her flush on the lips. 

“I’m very much glad of that,” He breathed once he’d pulled away, resting his forehead on her own, “I was worried for a second by that sad look on your face that you were going to send me away.” 

“Not a chance.” Came a whispered reply. 

Tom finished helping Elizabeth to wash and then helped her get out of the bath and into some warm pyjamas. He brushed her hair and ran products through her red hair as instructed and in no time, she was snuggled up in bed with a book. Tom was about to undress and join her when there was a knock at her door. 

“I’ll get it,” He replied, “You wait there.” 

Tom opened the door to be presented with Elizabeth’s mother, who was holding a steaming cup of a tea and mournful look on her face. 

“If you don’t mind Tom, I think I need to speak with Elizabeth.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your continued support for this story! I was going to wait until Saturday to upload this but Thursday works much better for me uploading wise, so enjoy! :)   
> As always, your comments and kudos mean the world!


	12. Chapter 12

When it was her mother that walked back into her room and not Tom, Elizabeth said nothing, opting instead to roll over and face the wall. She couldn’t stand the sight of her mother in that moment in time and it was taking all her self-reservation not to scream in her face. She heard footsteps coming closer to the bed and then the sound of the tea mug being put down on her nightstand. She still made no effort to turn around and look at her mother, instead willing her to turn around and leave her alone. 

“Elizabeth, will you not even look at me?” Came the soft voice of her mother, not dissimilar to the one that she would have taken were her daughter ill. Silence from Elizabeth. “I guess I deserve as much.” 

Elizabeth was relieved to hear footsteps carrying her mother away from her bed, but all hopes of peace and having Tom back with her were dashed when she heard her mother sit down in her chair. 

“I guess you don’t need to speak to me, I just want you to listen to me and what I have to say,” Elizabeth closed her eyes, waiting for whatever was coming, “I was wrong.” 

Elizabeth for a moment thought she was dreaming. Her mother had notoriously always been right since her father had left. She’d been right about the hotel and its success, she’d been right about her ex-boyfriend turning out to be a dreadful young man. She’d been right about a lot of things. Even when she was wrong, it was hard for her to admit that and more often than not the blame would fall on someone else. Her ex-husband. Sam. Elizabeth herself. The words shocked Elizabeth enough to make her sit up and look at her mother. 

“I know I’m not good at saying that,” She sighed, “And it’s hard for me to admit, but I was wrong about him,” Elizabeth went to speak, but her mother held a hand up to signal to her that she wasn’t done talking, “And before either of us say anything else, I think I more than owe you an apology, so I’m sorry Elizabeth, I truly am.” 

Elizabeth thought for a moment in silence before speaking, “What changed your mind in the space of a few hours?” She asked. 

“Well for starters, how willing he was to search the grounds in pitch darkness, torrential rain and gale force winds,” Her mother spoke, “Secondly, The way he brought you back and made you comfortable without thinking about himself first,” She continued, “And finally, the look of utter relief on his face when he walked you back in through the doors, like if anything other than this had happened to you, he wouldn’t have been able to live with himself, even though none of this was actually his fault.” 

“I need you to know and understand that I’ve never felt so angry than I did today,” Elizabeth spoke, “And what you said earlier isn’t just going to be erased because you’ve said sorry, brought me a cup of tea and said nice things about him. You’re going to have to work a damn sight harder than that.” 

“I understand that Elizabeth,” Her mother nodded, “But you also have to understand that your running off into the woods in the wind and rain wasn’t going to help anything either. What if I’d have just thought you were up in your room? Or Tom hadn’t messaged or phoned, were you just going to stay out there all night and freeze to death?” 

“You don’t get to say those things to me,” Elizabeth spat, “Your words were the reason I went out there. I needed to clear my head so I didn’t scream or throw things or cause a scene.” 

Her mother sighed again, knowing that this was a battle she wasn’t going to win, “I understand Elizabeth and I know it’s going to take time for you to forgive me, I really do, but I’ve got to start somewhere, haven’t I?” Elizabeth nodded in response but said nothing. 

Her mother stood from the chair she was sat in and came to Elizabeth’s side, she tucked a lock of Elizabeth’s hair behind her ear and pressed a kiss to her cheek, “Men like that don’t come along very often Elizabeth, so you make sure you make the most of him whilst you can, make sure when he leaves this hotel, he doesn’t leave you behind.” And with another kiss pressed to her cheek her mother left. 

Elizabeth went to reach for her phone to text Tom to let him know that she was alone again, but her mother’s words stopped her dead in her tracks. She had a point. 

Tom was one of a kind, there was no denying that. A true gentleman that had been slowly filling holes and cracks left in her heart by the people before him. After her experiences with her last boyfriend, Elizabeth had doubted whether the romance of her books truly did exist. She’d decided that even if it did, she would never be able to trust anyone enough to experience it herself. Yet here she was, falling utterly in love with a man who in mere days would be gone from her hotel and quite possibly her life.

At the thought of Tom leaving, Elizabeth became rather glum. She would suddenly have no-one to cuddle up to at night, no-one to giggle with in the early hours of the mornings, when neither could sleep anymore but didn’t want to actually get out of bed. No-one to whisper sweet nothings into her ear as she fell asleep. No-one to make love to her like no-one had done before. She decided in that moment that she didn’t think she could ever be without Tom again, and that somehow, he had to know this. Had to know finally that she thought she loved him. So Elizabeth picked up her phone and dialled his number. 

“Is everything okay?” Is how he answered. 

“Everything is fine,” Elizabeth spoke softly, “My mum has gone and I just wanted you to come back.” 

A sigh of a relief at the end of the phone, “You know, you could have just text me instead of sending me into a flying panic,” There was a chuckle at the end of the phone, that in turn made Elizabeth giggle a little, “I’ll be right there.” 

In a matter of minutes, Tom was getting into bed with Elizabeth. Neither of them said anything to each other as he turned out all the lights apart from the string of fairy lights along her headboard. Only when she was safely ensconced in his arms did Tom speak. 

“So, how did it go?” 

“She apologised and said some rather lovely things about you, to which I told her my forgiveness wasn’t that easily bought.” 

“Tough cookie.” 

“That I am,” Elizabeth sighed, “She can’t expect a sorry and a cup of tea to erase everything she said about you.” 

There was silence between the two again. This time, Elizabeth broke it. 

“Can I ask you something?” 

“Technically you just did,” Tom’s comment earned him a stern look, “Go ahead.” 

Elizabeth cleared her throat before speaking, “Have you thought about what happens when you leave?” 

Tom remained silent for a while before breathing deeply, “I can’t say I have,” He admitted, “What do you mean by what happens?” 

Elizabeth pushed herself from his shoulder so she was looking down at him in her bed, “Well, I’m going to stay here obviously, and you’re going to go off and do whatever it is that actors do with their lives, I guess I’m scared you’re going to leave me here and forget about me.” 

Tom began running his fingers up and down the arm that she was propped up on, “You know, forgetting you would be a pretty impossible task.” 

She figured his words were meant to reassure her but they did the exact opposite, “Oh I don’t know about that, I’m sure all those beautiful, thin, talented actresses you must work with.” 

“Don’t say that,” Tom whispered, pushing himself up to meet her, “You’re more beautiful and talented than you know Elizabeth, and I’m choosing you,” He pressed a kiss to her cheek, “I’m not going to walk out of those doors in a few days and forget who you are, quite the contrary actually because you’re probably going to be the only thing on my mind,” Tom pulled Elizabeth into the crook of his neck, running a hand through her hair as he continued talking, “I’m going to be honest with you Elizabeth, from here on out, my career is going to rocket. That’s not me being big-headed, it’s just the fact of life, but all I’ve ever wanted is someone who feels like home, someone who in all the chaos, I can come back to and just feel like I’ve found who I belong with and I know for a fact that the only person that I want that with is you.” 

Elizabeth wrapped her arms around Tom, not ever wanting to let him go in that moment. She leaned back a little to whisper into his ear, “I want to say something to you Tom, but what I don’t want is for you to say it to me for the sake of saying it, do you understand?” Tom only nodded in response, “I think there’s a distinct possibility that I might love you.” 

Tom slowly and gently pulled Elizabeth from their embrace and moved them so he could cup her face in his hands. He placed his lips ever so gently against hers and a pulled back slowly a few seconds later, “I think, Miss Elizabeth, that there might be a possibility that I love you too.” 

And with those words said, Tom pulled Elizabeth down to the mattress with him and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, so they were led in the same position they had been before they began speaking. Every now and then Elizabeth would give a little shiver that indicated that the effects of her stint in the blowing wind and rain was probably going to make her sick. He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and rubbed his fingers across her skin. Elizabeth fell asleep with the biggest smile she could remember having plastered across her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're so close to the end now guys! :(   
> Wrapping these two's story up is going to break my heart!   
> Once again, thank you for all your continued support and love! It means the world to me!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well this is it! The end of it all! Warning for smut in this one guys!

Feeling sad wasn’t something new to Elizabeth. Since she was a teenager there had always been a constant sense of sadness in her life. When her dad left, when her mother’s depression hit rock bottom and during the recovery of her abuse had all seemed like her lowest points. Nothing, however, could compare to the feeling of sadness and complete helplessness she felt at this precise moment, watching Tom pack away his things into his suitcase ready to leave the next morning. 

“You know, that sulking face is probably making me want to leave earlier,” Tom commented, packing a t-shirt into his suitcase, “I’d rather have your beautiful smile etched into my memory when I leave than that pout you’ve got going on.” 

“I’m sorry,” Elizabeth mumbled, pulling her legs up to her chest, “I just don’t know what I’m going to do with myself when you’re gone.” 

“Well you’ve got plenty of Shakespeare to be revising,” He smirked, “Someone has given you invaluable help on that and will be most disappointed if you don’t ace that exam in a few weeks.” 

“I’ll be lucky if I can concentrate on bloody Othello,” Elizabeth spoke, pushing herself up from the bed to rifle through the few t-shirts Tom had left hanging up in the wardrobe, “I’ll be thinking of you and what you’re doing.” 

“I’ll most likely be freezing my arse off in a field somewhere pretending to stab a lot of Frenchmen,” That earned a giggle from Elizabeth, “So trust me, you’ll be much better off than I will be, sat in the warm with a cup of tea and Shakespeare.” 

Tom turned to take another shirt to pack away in his suitcase and found Elizabeth almost in a world of her own, running her fingers along the cuff of the dress shirt he’d worn when he’d taken her to dinner all those weeks ago. He was suddenly struck with how hard it was going to be to leave her on her own here. 

“You know, you can keep that if you want?” Tom offered, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her to his side, she looked up at him as if to ask him if he was sure, “It at least means I’ll have to see you again to get it back,” He placed a kiss to her forehead, took the shirt off the hanger and then pushed it into her arms, “It should still smell like me for a while as well.” 

Elizabeth stood back, clutching Tom’s shirt to her chest as he finished packing. Things had been relatively quiet for the past week. She barely spoke to her mother and didn’t know when she would get back to being on proper speaking terms with her, but the pair could at least be civil enough to one another enough to be able to continue working together. Elizabeth was just absolutely dreading what it was going to be without Tom to speak to. Sam had been rather cold with Elizabeth since the argument. It was the only downside to falling out with her mother, Elizabeth was finding. She missed being able to sit in the kitchen to pass time or vent. 

“So,” Tom spoke, breaking the silence in his room, “We have tonight to ourselves and then I leave tomorrow morning, so what would m’lady like to do with the evening that we have?” He asked, throwing his suitcase in a corner to be forgotten until tomorrow morning. 

“I just want to be with you,” Elizabeth spoke softly, wrapping her arms around his middle, “So I’ll do whatever you’d like to do.” 

And that was how moments later, Elizabeth found herself pressed up against the wall, legs around Tom’s waist, lips attached with hands wrapped around his neck. Tom pulled his lips from Elizabeth’s and began dragging wet kisses down along her jaw and onto her neck where he lavished most of his attention, biting and sucking a few marks in a fervour that Elizabeth hadn’t seen from him before. Each time they’d been with each other, Tom had been attentive and slow and loving, but this time, it was like he was afraid he was going to run out of time. 

“Tom, slow down,” Elizabeth breathed, “I’m not going anywhere.” 

“But I am,” Came a muffled reply from the crook of her neck, “I need to give you a reason not to wander when I’m gone.” 

Elizabeth went to speak but was cut off by a moan cause by Tom’s tongue running over the sweet spot he had discovered behind her ear, just where her little tattoo was, “I’m not going anywhere.” 

Tom, for a few seconds, stopped his assault on Elizabeth’s neck to look into her eyes, “I just need to be sure,” Tom spoke softly, cupping her face in his hands, “I need to make you feel good with what little time we have.” 

For the first time, Elizabeth realised that his leaving was affecting him just as much as it was hers. Without thinking, she launched forward, pressing her lips to his in a force that was similar to the way he propelled her into the wall a few moments before. 

Elizabeth made quick work of shedding his t-shirt and then her vest. She used her hands to push Tom back from her and subsequently push him down onto the bed. When he went to pull her on top of him, she gave him a stern look at stood back, prompting Tom to raise himself up onto his elbows to see her properly. She looked at him through her eyelashes and slowly began to unbutton the green tartan trousers she had on. Elizabeth turned around slowly and bent over, pushing the trousers down her legs, giving Tom a fantastic view of her lace covered bottom. He swore he would never forget the sight of the dark plum lace covering her milky skin for as long as he lived. 

Slowly, Elizabeth turned around to face Tom, who was in the process of throwing his discarded jeans to the floor. He noticed the look of uncertainty in Elizabeth’s eyes as she stood in front of him, clad in her matching plum underwear. 

“You are quite possibly the most exquisite thing I’ve ever seen, Miss Elizabeth.” He all but growled, sitting up to drag her by an arm so that her body was above his. 

With a few moments, through kisses and touches, both Tom and Elizabeth were naked. Elizabeth straddled Tom’s legs, her arms wrapped around his neck, him sat up with his arms around her back, pulling her chest to his, so nearly every part of him was touching a part of her. He had never felt so incredibly close to anyone in his life. 

Elizabeth took a deep breath before sinking down onto Tom’s cock. The sound that she let out was almost enough to take Tom over the edge right then and there, but somehow he managed to keep it together as she stilled, getting used to how deep he felt in the new position. 

Once Elizabeth had gathered herself she began moving slowly, up and down, pulling moans from both herself and Tom. The feeling of him moving inside her, coupled with the wet kisses he was placing along her throat and the warm feeling of his hands, large and protective along her back was driving her mad, but it wasn’t enough. 

She unwrapped one of her arms from around his neck, and took one of his hands in her own, placing it between her legs, “I need you to touch me.” She whispered. 

With Tom’s fingers on her clit, it took mere minutes for Elizabeth to come, moaning into Tom’s neck. The feeling of her muscles clenching and fluttering around him, coupled with the moans and the way she said his name was enough to send Tom off the deep end, finishing deep within her. 

Tom dragged Elizabeth off of him and under the sheets with relative ease. He found her extremely pliable after an orgasm or two. He gently pressed kisses to her head whilst rubbing his fingers along her sex-warmed skin until she fell asleep. The shallow breathing and the comfort of her body wrapped around his own was something that Tom was reluctantly going to have to get used to sleeping without for the next few weeks at least. 

He stayed awake as long as he possibly could that night. Listening to Elizabeth’s breathing and light snoring, reveling in the feeling of her body wrapped around his. Realising that leaving her tomorrow morning was absolutely going to be one of the hardest things he would have to do. 

*

The sight of Tom’s suitcase stood next to the opened boot of the car the following morning was enough to set Elizabeth off into an emotional wreck. She had prayed to every God she could think of that morning to bless her with just one more day with Tom. One more chance to wake up in his arms. One more chance to make love to him. One more chance breath in his scent. But it was all for nothing, because in a few moments he’d get into his car and drive off away from her. 

Once his suitcase was in the car safely, along with his rucksack, Tom strode over to Elizabeth, who was stood on the front porch of the hotel, trying her best not to break down in floods of tears. Tom took hold of her hands and placed a kiss along her knuckles. 

“You don’t know how horrible this feels,” He spoke softly, “I’ve never wanted to something less than I want to leave you here today.” 

Elizabeth felt her eyes well up with tears that she really didn’t want to let fall, but after blinking, they were impossible to keep back, “I wish I could come with you Tom.” She said helplessly. 

“So do I, sweet girl,” He spoke, pressing his forehead to hers, “I wish for nothing more than to pile you into that car and drive off into the sunset with you,” He could feel his own tears coming to his eyes, but for Elizabeth’s sake, he took a deep breath to calm himself, “But I need you here, nice and grounded for me, because god knows these next weeks and months are going to be a whirlwind, I just can’t think of anything better than being able to come back home to you.” 

Someone behind Tom shouted that he really needed to get a move on if he wanted to make good time to the next location. He acknowledged the comment but his eyes never left Elizabeth’s face. 

“Promise me you’ll ace this Shakespeare exam?” Tom asked. 

Elizabeth let out a watery giggle, “I promise.” She whispered, wrapping her hands around his neck. 

When words failed, like they did now, Tom pulled Elizabeth’s body flush to his own and kissed her like it was going out of fashion. Elizabeth was entirely breathless when he pulled away and for a moment forget that he was leaving. 

“I have to go now, Elizabeth,” Tom spoke quietly, “But I promise I will be back.” 

“Don’t forget about me.” Elizabeth spoke softly, letting her tears flow freely.

“I couldn’t even if I tried.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually not the happiest with the end of this chapter and i've re-written it and re-written it so many times that I've actually lost the will to live with it. I wanted to give Tom and Elizabeth a better end than this, but what will be will be! 
> 
> I wanted to say a huge thank-you for sticking with this story. It's meant a lot to me that so many of you have read and enjoyed it as much as I've enjoyed writing it! The continued comments have kept me going with updating this. I honestly can't thank you all enough for sticking around! :) 
> 
> And the good news is that this is by no means the end of Tom and Elizabeth's story! There is a sequel in the works as we speak. I've got a Taron Egerton fic that I've been working on alongside this that will be posted starting in two weeks if you love him like I do, then check it out. But once that's posted and done, Tom and Elizabeth will be back! 
> 
> Thank you once again! I love you all dearly!

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you all think of this! It's going to be a bit of a slow burn but I'm absolutely in love with Tom and Elizabeth and I hope you guys will love them as much as I do!  
> If you want to show me some love on tumblr you can follow me beautifully-silenced.tumblr.com (it's legitimately me just fan girling over Mr Hiddleston, so if you're into that i'd love to see you! :P)


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